The Scarecrow
by gurl3677
Summary: Based on Norman Reedus' film Messenger 2. John's family was killed with only John making it through the attack. Can he work through his psychiatric break? Can he make his doctor understand that it's all real? What happens when she experiences the supernatural for herself? Can they make it out together, with both alive? Genre:Romance, Horror, Supernatural
1. Chapter 1

_* Please Review! In my story, John's family was killed and he was left alive. He was barely alive and spent a long time in the hospital. When he got out he had to go to a pysch hospital and is in therapy*_

" Patient's name is John Rollins. He is believed to be suffering a psychiatric break after the deaths of his wife and two children. Patient believes they were killed by supernatural forces. Even after months of therapy, he still refuses to accept that his house was broken into in the middle of the night. Mr. Rollins, himself, suffered life threatening stab wounds." Avery Reid said into her recorder. " For today's visit, I'm going to ask him to take a walk with me outside. Being outside seems to calm him." A knock on the door forced her to shut off the recorder and set it down. " Come in." She said. She smiled as the door opened and John Rollins was escorted in, wearing his hospital issued scubs and tennis shoes. " Thank you, Nick." She said to the nurse.

" No problem, Doc." The nurse said before he walked out and closed the door.

" Hello, Mr. Rollins, how are you today?" She asked. " Please, have a seat."

" Thanks." He muttered as he walked towards her desk. " I'm okay. You?"

" I'm good. I have a surprise for you." She said.

" Oh yeah? And what's that?" He asked, sitting so he was directly across her.

" I would like to take you outside. I would want to take a walk with you while we talk. Would you like that?" He smiled and nodded.

" What man doesn't like taking a walk with a beautiful woman?" He asked. Avery laughed softly as she stood up. " Just us then?" He asked.

" Just us. No nurse or orderlies." She said. He cocked one eyebrow up as he tilted his head to the side.

" You trust me?" He asked in surprise.

" I do. You have never given me a reason to not trust you." Avery said, reaching him and leaning against the desk in front of him. She crossed her arms over her chest and her legs at her ankles. His eyes drifted from her face to her legs suddenly.

" No other patients get to go outside with their doctors without help." He said in his gruff voice as his eyes traveled up her bare legs. Avery frowned, hating the flush that always hit her when it came to him.

' He's a patient, not a regular man in the world.' She scolded herself.

" Should I not trust you?" She asked as she stood up straight, making him look at her face quickly.

" No. I wouldn't hurt you. I have never hurt a woman before." He said, making her nod.

" Then let's go." She said.

NRNRNR

As they walked slowly around the grounds of the hospital, John kept his arms crossed over his chest with Avery held his chart in front of her, against her stomach. The day was warm with a light breeze that went through her brown hair. It picked up a few strands, making her reach up and tuck them back and behind her ears.

" Your hair smells good." John commented quietly.

" What was that?" Avery asked, looking at him. John glanced at her, then at the ground in front of him and smiled.

" Your hair. It smells good. It always smells good." He said.

" Ah, thank you." Avery said, looking away from him and forcing herself to think professional thoughts and not about how attractive he was. Or that she liked that he noticed her hair.

" You're welcome. So what are we going to talk about today?" He asked.

" I think we should talk about your farm work and why you liked that over having a different job." She said. Any person could tell he was used to hard labor. His arms were built up and looked strong. His skin, when he first arrived to her hospital, had been tan from being outside so much.

" I grew up on a farm. I worked it with my dad when I was young. I tried other jobs but they weren't satisfying." John said.

" Because you like being outside." John nodded and brought his head back as another breeze went through them.

" I like being outside." He commented. " I like the way the sun feels, the way the breeze smells, and how the birds sound, except crows." As if on cue, a crow cawed and suddenly dipped down from the trees, like it came from nowhere. It startled Avery but brought out a whole different reaction from John. He grabbed Avery and spun her around to slam her against a tree. He kept one hand tightly on her arm while his other one started swing at the crow. " Get the fuck out of here!" The crow cawed at him as it scored away.

" Mr. Rollins!" Avery said quickly.

" Go on! Get the hell away from her!" He screamed. He dropped down and grabbed a stick. When he stood up again, he hurled the stick towards the birds while he continued to scream at it.

" Mr. Rollins! John! It's okay, It's just a bird!" Avery said as she made a grab for his arms.

" You can't have her! Not this one!" John screamed. Avery made a grab for his face, forcing him to look at her. His features were twisted in anger and he was trembling.

" Look at me! Look at me right now! Where are we?" He was panting and trying to look away from her but Avery squeezed his chin. " John! Stay looking at me or I will have to call an orderlies, now where are we!" She demanded. John let her force her to make him stay looking at her.

" At the hospital." He said.

" Where aren't we?" Avery asked.

" At the farm." John repeated the the things she had said him say over and over again when he first came to her.

" They aren't going to hurt you." Avery said gently. John's hands came to her waist, surprising her.

" I'm not worried about them hurting me." He said softly as he squeezed her. " I don't want them to hurt you."

" They aren't going to hurt anyone, okay? Now take your hands off my waist." Instead of listening to her, John squeezed her again and pulled her closer to him until she was pressed completely against him. " Mr. Rollins..."

" They will hurt you. He controls them. He will make them hurt you." He almost whispered as he stared hard into her eyes. His blue eyes burned into her big greenish-blue ones.

" Who controls them?" Avery asked.

" The scarecrow." John whispered. " I'm not crazy, Dr. Reid." She sighed as she dropped her hold on his face.

" You need to let me go, okay? I think we need to go inside." Avery said gently.

" I won't hurt you."

" I actually know that. I trust that you won't hurt me but if the orderlies see you holding onto me like this, they will get upset." John's eyes shifted behind her than back to the tree branches they were standing under. " Mr. Rollins, look at me." Her soft voice pulled him back down to her. " Where are we?"

" At the hospital." He said just as softly. She nodded and smiled.

" That's right. And what is my name?" She asked.

" Avery Reid." He said as he studied her eyes.

" And what is your name?" Avery asked. He sighed as his shoulders fell.

" John Rollins." He said. She continued to smile and nod.

" Very good. You ready to go in now?" Avery asked.

" Are you taking me back to my room?" John asked.

" I can but we still have some time before I see my next patient. Would you like me to stay with you?" She asked.

" Yeah." He said.

" Okay, let's go. Why don't you take my arm and help me in." Avery offered.

In their time together, she had learned that John was a gentleman. If she joined him in the rec room or for his dinner, he always pulled the chair out for her. When they walked around the hospital, he opened doors for her and always put his hand on her lower back to guide her through. At first she had resist him touching her but it seem to sooth him and honestly, she didn't think he could help himself. It had been ingrained in him to be polite.

John cast one last look into the trees then back at her. He stepped away to give her space then took her arm. As they started walking, Avery noticed how his eyes continued to scan the sky. He was nervous, as if he was waiting for the crow to return. Avery felt bad. She thought he had moved pass his fear and anger of the crows. He had stopped drawing pictures of himself killing them. He hadn't drawn one in almost two months but now she knew that was over.

" Tell me something, John, why do you like drawing so much?" She had asked him once. He had been drawing a new picture at the time. His hand paused at her words. He tilted his head and looked at her through his overgrown hair.

" In pictures I can change things. I can control the crows." He had said.

NRNRNR

Avery sighed and leaned back in her chair after finishing her time with John. She turned the chair slowly back and forth while she thought. She had his chart out and in front of her and was glancing through the notes his other doctors had made. He had been bouncing from doctor to doctor to doctor before finally landing on her desk.

' Lost cause.'

' Completely caught up in his scarecrow fantasy.'

' Going to increase his medication.'

' Will never be able to regain the normal world again.'

Avery didn't believe any of that and so that was how she got him. She was the doctor who took the ' bad' patients, the ones the other doctors had given up on. After a few months of working with John, of listening and talking to him, she was able to cut his medication intake to almost nothing. She still kept him on his night meds because without them, he had horrible dreams.

John laid in his bed with his hands under his head and his legs crossed at his ankles. He stared at the ceiling, thinking about his doctor. Avery was the only one who really listen to him. She listened, she looked at his drawings, she talked, she smiled, and sometimes laughed. John thought she was even starting to believe him, to understand him. Plus, she didn't just shove pills down his throat. When he got upset or mad, she didn't rush him to inject him with something that knocked him out. She simply talked to him.

And she was hot. That thought brought a smile to his face. He loved it when she worn her pencil skirts and heels. The skirts weren't that short. They almost reached her knees but they were tight and she had a nice ass and legs. She never had stockings on so he could see her bare skin and he loved that. He was a sucker for a nice set of legs. He maybe be a sick man but he was a man and she was a woman that made his body stir for the first time in a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

_* Please Review! Thank you for all the adds to follow and favorites! And wow! 12 reviews on the first chapter? I hope you guys keep that up! It makes me feel amazing! This story is for __**Caffiend04!**__*_

John was sitting at the desk in his hospital room a few weeks later. He and his doctor had been walking outside every day since his freak out. He did feel better being outside, he couldn't deny that. Dr. Reid didn't mind that he scanned the skies. He knew she knew he was doing it, but she was letting him. She seem to understand that he needed to watch for the crows. She didn't tell him to stop or yell at him for it. She simply acted like it wasn't happening.

" Mr. Rollins." Avery said as she knocked on his room's door. John set his pencil down, sat back and smiled at her.

" Hey, Doc, how are you today?" He asked as he brought his one hand to his head and let it rest against his closed fist.

" I am well, how are you?" She asked.

" I'm great." He said, making her smile.

" I have a surprise for you." She said. John dropped his arm down and smiled.

" And I have a surprise for you." He said, glad to see she looked taken back.

" You do?" She asked.

" Yeah." He grabbed the drawing he had been working on and stood up. " I made this for you." He said, handing it over to her.

" What is it?" Avery asked as she took the drawing. She dropped the bag she had been holding and as a look of shock went over her pretty face, making him grin and walk closer to her. " Is this..."

" It's Gabe, your lab." Avery's small hand came to the picture. She touched it gently. Staring up at her was the face of her beloved lab. The dog she had put to sleep a few months beforehand. " I memorize that picture you have of him on your desk and I know how much you loved him."

" Mr. Rollins, this is beautiful." She said as she studied the picture. He had drawn her dog perfectly. She wasn't sure what to say. Gabe had been 17 years old when she put him down. He was the only man in her life for years and she had adored the dog. John came to her side and smiled.

" I'm glad you like it." He said as he stroked his goatee and smiled.

" I...I actually love it." She knew he was a great artist. They had went over his drawings of the scarecrow, the crows, and his house, but seeing what he could do when he wanted to make someone happy was amazing. She swallowed hard, feeling the pain of her dog's lost all over again. " I don't even know what to say. This is so great." She said when she finally looked at him. " Thank you, Mr. Rollins."

" It's John and you're welcome." He said as he dropped his hand. She laughed and looked back at the picture. She nodded to herself, touched the picture again then looked back at him.

" Ready for your surprise?" She asked. John smiled and clapped his hands together before he started to rub them.

" Yeah." He said excitedly. Avery laughed and bent down to pick up the bag she had brought.

" Here you go." She said, handing it over to him. John grinned and took it from her. He turned around and moved to his bed. After he set the bag down, he opened it up and looked inside.

" What the hell?" He asked softly as he reached in. He pulled out a light blue and gray plaid button down shirt. " I can wear regular clothes?" He asked as he set it down. Avery came forward with a smile.

" Not all the time, just during our walks. You are doing so well I thought you might like something normal." She said. He set the shirt down then reached in to grab the jeans she had bought him.

" How did you know my sizes?" John asked, making Avery laugh as she sat down on his bed.

" I know almost everything about you. I even know your blood type." She said. John set the jeans down and smiled at her.

" Can I wear them now?" He asked when he looked back at his new things.

" Yes. I'll wait outside while you change. Then we will take our walk." Avery said, standing up again. John was running his hands over the new clothes while she walked towards the door.

" Hey Doc." He said without looking up at her.

" Yes, Mr. Rollins?" Avery asked as she looked back at him.

" Thank you." He inhaled then met her eyes. " And not just the clothes, although these are awesome. For everything you have done for me." She smiled and nodded.

" You're welcome. Get changed, okay?" She asked before she disappeared out of his room, closing the door behind her.

NRNRNR

" You don't know how good it feels to be in these clothes instead of scuds." John said as he and Avery strolled through one of gardens in the hospital.

" I can image." She said. He had his hands in his pockets while she was holding his chart against her chest.

" It almost makes me feel like a normal man." He said. He took a deep breath in and tilted his head back. He sighed and closed his eyes so he could just enjoy the warm sun.

" You are a normal man, Mr. Rollins." Avery said, making him drop his head and look at her. He sighed again and shook his head.

" I haven't been a normal man in a long time." He said.

" Yes, you are, you are normal." Avery said. John looked away and shook his head.

" You think that?" He asked quietly.

" I know that, Mr. Rollins." Avery confirmed. John looked at her and titled his head slightly.

" Can you call me John, please? You always call me Mr. Rollins, unless I'm freaking out then you call me John and I'd really like it if you'd call me my name all the time." He said, making her smile.

" Okay. I can do that." He closed his mouth and smiled as he nodded. He looked away from her as they walked. They were quiet for a few minutes. She was letting him gather his thoughts and he knew it. "So, is there something you want to focus on today?" He finally asked.

" Actually there is." Avery paused. She wasn't sure how he was going to react to what she wanted to offer him. " I have been speaking with a few other doctors about you and a new form of therapy has been brought to my attention, something I think might really help you."

" And what's that?" John asked. Avery took a hold of his arm and stopped walked, forcing him to stop.

" I want you to really think about what I'm going to say. It's going to be very intense and could take a few months but if it works, you could leave here. You could start your life again." She said.

" What is it?" He asked as he took in her serious face. They had been together for eight months and he had never seen her look nervous but as she stared up at him, her eyes told him what she was feeling. And she was nervous.

" I want to take you some place and it would just be you and me. We will be working hard. It could be emotional but in the end, it might be just what you need." She said.

" Where do you want to go?" He asked. She took a deep breath and dropped his arm.

" To your house." John took a step back like she had tried to slap him. He frowned and looked away from her. She watched his face as he processed what she had just said. He started to stroke his chin as he shook his head. Avery decided to stay quiet and let him have his time.

" No." John finally said when he looked back at her.

" John, I really..." She started.

" No." John interrupted her.

" I know the idea is upsetting to you, I can understand that, but this radical treatment has helped others in the past. And you won't be alone. I will be there with you, every step of the way. " Avery said as she stepped forward. " I will hold you up and help you through. This could be the turning point for you and..."

" I said no!" John yelled, startling her. " We aren't going there! I do not want to be there again! I don't want you there!"

" Okay, let's just forget it. You need to calm down for me." She said gently.

" I'm going back to my room." He snapped as he turned around and started to storm away from her. Avery sighed but followed after him.

" We still have 45 minutes left." She called out to him.

" I don't care!" John snapped. With a shake of her head, she let him walk back into the hospital.

NRNRNR

Avery was sitting at her desk, later in the evening, finishing up her notes before she went home. Her last patient of the day was battling his fear of the government. He was the one who completely worn her out sometimes. He would accuse her of working with them, then cry and say he was sorry for it. He made her tired. She was ready for her day to end when a knock came to her office.

" Come in!" She called out. To her surprise, John opened the door and peeked in at her.

" Can we talk for a minute?" He asked.

" Yeah, of course. Come in." She said quickly as she gathered up her paperwork. After he exploded on her and stormed away, she hadn't seen him until that moment. Almost shyly, John came into the office and carefully closed the door.

" I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for blowing up on you. That wasn't fair of me." He said as he came forward.

" No, no, it's okay. Don't worry about it." She said. He smiled and her pulse quicken. She silently yelled at herself as he took a hold of one of the chairs in front of her desk.

" I have been thinking about what you said and I want you to know that I will think about it. You might be right. I mean, I did have one of my buddies burn the scarecrow after that night. And I can't live my life here." John said softly, making her nod.

" I'm just asking you to think about it." She said.

" You'll go with me?"

" Every step of the way." Avery confirmed. John sighed and nodded.

" Can I give you my answer tomorrow?" He asked.

" Sure." She said. He patted the chair then dropped his arms to his sides.

" Thanks, Doc." He said before he walked out of her office.

NRNRNR

John laid in his bed, staring at the reflection of the moonlight on his hospital room wall. The window was directly over his head. He couldn't sleep. He was listening to the sounds of the other inmates, as he called them. His bedroom door wasn't allowed to be closed so he could every scream, every whine, every nurse that did their rounds.

He hated the hospital. He hated wearing the scrubs. He hated just being there. Maybe his doc was right. With the scarecrow gone, things might be normal. He might be able to prove to Dr. Reid, to hospital, that he wasn't still crazy. He could prove to himself that he wasn't being hunted down by fucked up crows. That they were just birds.

Of course, he had to wonder, was the house still his? He had been close to losing it when the accident happen. John sighed and rolled to his right side. He snuggled into the bed and slipped his hands under his pillow. The bank had to have taken it by now. He had been in the hospital for a month, recovering from his injuries before he moved to Dr. Reid's hospital and now he had been here for almost eleven months. All his other doctors has given up on him and he knew it. He had seen it in their eyes but not in hers. Not in her pretty, sparkling eyes. John smiled and chuckled in the darkness. Pretty, little Dr. Reid. His pretty, little Dr. Reid.


	3. Chapter 3

_* Please Review! __**Caffiend:**__ Find my call out to you!*_

" Aren't you going to ask about what I have decided to do?" John asked as he and Avery walked through the hospital grounds the next day. " I mean, we have been out here half an hour already and you haven't said anything about it."

" You will tell me when you're ready." Avery said, making him smile. She always let him work things out on his own.

" Tell me more about the therapy?" John asked.

" Well, my mentor, Dr. Walter Caffiend, has taken a few of his patients to the scenes of their accidents or break downs. At first, it has been tough for the patient but the end results are amazing. Some patients have been able to leave his hospital and start normal lives. It's all about confronting your problems, confronting your fears and learning that they don't control you." Avery explained.

" Do I still own the house?" He asked.

" No. Your house was taken by the bank but the hospital bought it." She said, making him look at her.

" Why?" He asked. Avery smiled at him and he felt himself relax. She always had a calming affect on him.

" Because this hospital wants to return our patients back to their lives. When we feel that a patient has a good chance of that happening, we will take over their house, apartment, car payments so that the patient doesn't have to leave with nothing. All I have to do is make a few calls and the water and lights will be turned on there." She said. John looked away from her and swallowed hard. Avery waited then reached out and took a hold of his arm, stilling both their movements and making him look at her. He sighed hard.

" Ah, Doc, what do you want me to say?" He asked.

" I want this for you. You don't belong here and you know it, John. You aren't like the other patients. You could have a life again, I want you too. I want you to be able to face down your fears and lead a healthy life." Avery said.

" You really think I can?" He asked.

" Yes." She said. John looked away and sighed deeply. He blinked and nodded slowly before looking back at her. He stared into her hope filled eyes. Maybe he could do this. He wanted to do this, for himself and for her, because she was the only one who still believed in him.

" Than I want to go." He said. He was rewarded by her pretty smile.

" I will make the plans than." She squeezed his arm tightly. " I will be there every step of the way. If it becomes to much for you, we leave."

" Promise?" John asked.

" I promise you." To her surprise John moved in and hugged her tightly. Avery smiled and took a hold of his sides.

" Thank you for this, Doc. Thank you for believing in me." He whispered into her hair. She patted him and nodded.

NRNRNR

It took a few weeks for Avery to get everything ready. She lined up her patients with other doctors and updating them on the different conditions and her treatments. The hospital bought her and John plane tickets and she rented a car that would be waiting for them at the airport. She had the utilities turned on, groceries delivered to the house the day they were to arrive as well as linens and fresh towels.

" So can I be honest with you?" Avery asked John after their plane took off.

" Sure." He said.

" I'm kind of excited. I grew up in a small, country town. I'm excited to go back to one." She said with a smile. She loved New York city but she missed the slow pace of a small town. John nodded but didn't smile. He was nervous, she could tell.

" The house is 20 miles from town. There is nothing around it but the fields and the barn." He said.

" That's perfect. It's just what you need." She said. John leaned his head back into the seat and looked out the window.

The flight was going to take them three hours. They talked quietly some time and were quiet some time. He enjoyed being out of the hospital but couldn't help but be scared to go to the house. He was fidgeting in his seat, staring at the window during their quiet times. He was praying that his friend had burned the scarecrow and scattered the ashes. He was so lost in his thoughts of the scarecrow that he didn't notice the plane had flown into a small storm. He didn't notice until the plane suddenly pitched and Avery grabbed his hand. He looked at her to see her eyes were closed and she was biting her bottom lip. John smiled and leaned closer to her.

" Hey Doc, you okay?" He asked. Avery opened her eyes and blushed when she realized she was holding his hand. She almost yanked away from him.

" Yeah, yeah, sorry." She said. The plane dropped slightly again, making her grab him once more. "I"m sorry!" She said quickly. " I don't fly well." John covered their combined hands and started to rub the top of her hand.

" It's okay. Tell me who you are." He said. Avery closed her eyes but smiled.

" Don't you try and use my own techniques on me." She said lightly, making John chuckle as he leaned into her again.

" Why not? It works for me." He said. Again the plane bounced. Avery's eyes flew open and she gasped as she grabbed him with her free hand. " What is your favorite color?" She looked at him but he noticed her eyes shifted to the window. " Doc, look at me." Avery whined as she grew paler and paler. "Avery, look at me." She sighed and looked at him finally.

" Purple." She answered, making him smile and nod.

" Mine's red. What is your favorite thing to eat?" John asked.

" Peanut butter." She said.

" I like peanut butter. Your favorite season?" John asked. Avery closed her eyes and licked across her bottom lip.

" Fall." His eyes were drawn right to her soft looking lips.

" Fall is nice. Favorite smell?"

" Bounce dryer sheets." She said as the plane became to settle down. He forced himself to look back at her face.

" Pepsi or Coke?" He asked.

" Coke." John squeezed her hand and nodded.

" You're doing good, Doc. It's almost over now. You feel that? You feel the plane calming?" Avery nodded and half sighed, half whined then opened her eyes.

" Thank you." She said, making him smile.

" After everything you have done for me, it's the least I can do." He said as they let go of their hands.

" I just don't handle flying well. I hate it." Avery said.

" It's kind of nice that we had a role reversal. You were me and I was you for a minute." John said. Avery laughed, making his smile spread into a grin as she looked away.

" Yeah, you're right." Avery said.

When the plane started to descend, he noticed that she was gripping her seat. John couldn't help but be amazed. In her office or walking around the hospital, she was cool, calm, and collected. He had seen her in the rec room with patients were who had flipped out. She always spoke softly and kept her head but here, with no crazy people around, she was barely holding herself together.

" Doc, you still doing okay?" He asked.

" Yeah. I'm just ready to be out of here." She said. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him but she looked right out the window. Her eyes widen, making him look out the window first then back at her.

" Look at me, Doc."

" Yeah, okay." She said, making him smile again because she hadn't looked at him.

" Avery, look at me, please." He said, pulling her eyes to his face. " Take my hand." She looked down to where he reached out to her and shook her head.

" No, I'm okay." She said.

" You're not okay. You're pale and breathing heavy. Now look at me and take my hand." Against her better judgment, she slipped her hand into his. He latched on right away, making her look back at him. "When you were a little girl, what did you want to be?"

" A teacher." She said. The plane gave a slight shake as the landing gear came out. She jumped and grabbed his hand harder.

" Favorite show?" He asked.

" Criminal Minds."

" Do you like sports?" John asked as the plane finally touched down. She closed her eyes and held her breath. " Avery, do you like sports?" He asked as he leaned into her.

" No." She whispered.

" You're doing good, Avery." She smiled then opened her eyes to look back at him.

" You do sound like me." She said, making John smile.

" I learned from the best." He answered.

After the plane landed and they disinbarked, they made their way to pick up their bags, not that John really had any. All his old clothes were still at the house. What he didn't know was Avery had had the woman who delivered all the things to the house and open the windows to clear the air and wash all John's things. The house, and his clothes were going to smell fresh and clean. She was hoping it would be a cheerful homecoming for him.

They picked up Avery's bag then grabbed their rental car. Avery drove with John giving her quiet directions to the town then towards the house. The tension he was feeling was flowing through the car.


	4. Chapter 4

_* Please Review! Sorry, I had a big pass two days, that's why I didn't update! __**Coconutcarter:**__ I love Criminal Minds! I love Dr. Reid so Avery's name is a call out to him! LOL, he's so cute!*_

When they pulled up to the dark house, John couldn't help but stare out the window. Avery thought everything looked beautiful but knew better than to speak. Her patient needed a few minutes to collect himself and she was going to give it to him. His family had been killed in the barn and that was where John had been found too so they were not going to go in there for a while. Their work was going to be at the house, the fields and at the town.

" Mr. Rollins, Look at me." She said softly. John sighed but turned and looked her.

" Call me John." He said with a very forced smile. Avery nodded.

" John, I want you to remember something, something you told me yourself. The scarecrow it's self is not here. Your friend destroyed it." She said very gently.

" I know, Doc." John said.

" The goal here is to not focus on the bad times. I don't want you thinking about the fights you and your wife had. I want you to remember the good times, the fun times." She said. John sighed but nodded.

" Okay, Doc." He said, making her smile.

" Call me Avery." She said, making him smile for real.

" I'd like that, Avery." John said.

" Okay, let's go in. The kitchen is fully stocked, your old clothes are washed and there are new linens and towels for us. We are going to take this one step at a time. You aren't alone here." She said. John nodded.

" Yeah, alright. I get it." He said.

" You ready to go in or do you need a minute?" Avery asked. He looked at the house for a minute then back at her.

" Can I go in a minute, alone?" He asked.

" Sure. I'll just stay out here." Avery said. John nodded and looked away. Together they exited the car.

John walked slowly up to the porch of his house with his hands trembling. When he reached the door, he couldn't stop himself from looking back to Avery. She was leaning against the car with her arms crossed over her chest and a smile on her face. She nodded at him and he found himself relaxing. She had faith in him and John didn't want to let her down. So he turned back around and took a hold of the door knob.

As John stepped into the house, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The house smelled just as he remembered it smelling. It was quiet though and that he wasn't used too. It had never been quiet before. John shut the door slowly then started farther into the house. He looked around as he started towards the stairs.

_" Avery."_

Avery jumped and turned around the face the cornfields when she thought she heard her name. The fields were being tending by a local farmer. He was renting the fields from the hospital and the hospital would get 15% of whatever money he made from the sell of the corn. With a frown, Avery started around the car and towards the field.

John climbed the stairs, holding his breath for as long as he could. He needed to close the doors to his children's rooms. He did not want to look inside them. He wasn't ready for that and he knew it. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he went to his daughter's room first. He closed his eyes as he grabbed the door knob and shut the door. His son's room was next. He walked pass the bathroom and went straight into his bedroom.

Avery frowned at the tall corn stalks. They were completely dry, like they haven't been watered in weeks. The ground was cracked. She was going to have to call the hospital and find out what happen to the farmer. It was clear to her that no one had been tending the field for some time. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head as a hot breeze kicked up suddenly. It whipped her hair up and around her, making her gather it up, twist it, and putting it into a messy bun. The sound of a child giggling made her frown.

" Hello?" Avery called out.

John stared at the bed he had practically raped his wife in. His hands went into two fists at his sides as his mouth tighten. Mary, his wife, and him weren't happy, God knew they tried to be. She tried everything to bring them back together, John knew she had. She scheduled counseling for them, John had missed it. They fought, they yelled. He had loved Mary, maybe he wasn't as in love with her as he used to be but that happen sometimes in marriages, didn't it? Sometimes you fell in and out of love with your partner, right? John sighed and walked over to the window that over looked the corn field.

" Avery!" He yelled as she started to walk into the field. " Fuck!" He yelled as he turned and sprinted out of his room.

Avery followed the sounds of the giggling through the field. She pushed the stalks to the side to allow herself to move better. Sweat was starting to bead along her nape as the sun bore down on her. She frowned as she moved. She called out to the child but the boy never answered her. She got glimpses of blond hair whipping by but never actually got to see his face. She picked up her pace, hurrying when she noticed the boy hurried.

" Stop!" She called out. " You shouldn't be out here alone!"

" Avery!" She heard John yell. Avery looked back and over her shoulder.

" I'm out here!" She called.

" Doc!" John yelled. Avery turned back around, stunned to see an open space in front of her suddenly.

" What the hell?" She whispered as she started walking slowly. Wasn't that just stalks of corn? She wondered. She brought one hand to her neck to wipe away some of the sweat. Some where above her head, a crow cawed out.

" Avery, answer me!" John yelled. She turned back around in the direction of his voice.

" I'm in the corn field!" She called out. When she turned back around, she was surprised to see a little boy standing in front of her, so surprised, she jumped and cried out.

" Avery! Doc!" John yelled with his voice laced in panic.

" Hi. Where did you come from?" Avery asked with a nervous laugh. The little boy pointed to something behind her.

" He's coming." He said.

" Who is?" Avery asked. " Mr. Rollins?" The boy shook his head and continued to point. " Can you tell me your name?"

" Doc!" Avery's shoulders fell as she spun around. How the hell could he not hear her?

" I am right here!" She yelled as John finally appeared a few paces ahead of her. He was hurrying towards her, pushing the corn stalks out of his way. His face was red and she could see sweat against his hairline. His black tee-shirt was clinging to his chest. She turned back around to find the boy was gone. " Hey! Little boy! Where did you go?" She called out as she walked more into the opening.

" Avery!" Avery frowned and turned around to face John but in the process, she tripped and tumbled backwards. The back of her head met the hard ground before her shoulders, back and ass did, sending a bust of pain through her. Her stomach rolled as her vision fuzzed. She closed her eyes and started to swallow so she wouldn't throw up. She groaned and reached up to touch her head. " Holy shit!" She heard John running a second before she felt his hands come to her. He took a gentle hold of her neck and head, coming to her knees at her side.

" I'm okay." She said as she opened her eyes. " I just tripped." She said as she braced her hands on the dirt and started to push herself up. John's right hand traveled through her hair, feeling for a wound and checking for blood.

" Are you sure?" He asked quickly.

" Yeah." She said. She took a hold of his wrist and carefully removed his hand from her hair while her other hand went to the sore spot at the back of her head.

" What are you doing out here?" He asked, placing both hands on his knees.

" I saw a child. I followed him out here." She started to look around as she frowned. " But I don't know where he went." John's eyes scanned the cornfield as he struggled to breath deep.

" Come on, we need to get out of here." He said. He looked back at her as he moved. He took a hold of her arms and pulled her to stand with him. Avery's own hands came to rest against his forearms. " I need you to promise me something." He said when they were fully up.

" What?" She asked as she brushed herself off.

" You wouldn't come out here without me. No matter what. No matter what you think you see or hear, you won't come out here alone. It's not safe." John said. Avery sighed and meet his eyes.

" It's just a cornfield, John." His eyebrows came together as he shook his head.

" It's not..." He groaned quietly and let his eyes shut. " It can just be confusing, you know?" He said when he opened his eyes again. " You aren't used to be out here. You could get lost." He finished up softly. Avery bit into her bottom lip, seeing the worry over his face.

" Okay, John. I won't come out here without you. I promise." She said. John visibly relaxed.

" Let's get out of here. You need some ice on your head." He said as he turned and pulled her into him.

He put his right arm around her waist and and his left hand took a hold of her arm as he hurried them through. He reached out and pushed the corn stocks out of the way when he needed too. Avery glanced up at him from time to time as he ushered her through. His face was set in hard lines and his eyes were moving back and forth as he took everything in. The cornfield and the barn were his two biggest fears. The barn she could understand since his family and him had been led out there to die. The cornfield, well she was sure she could convince him that it was, in fact, just a cornfield.

Once they broke free of the cornfield, John didn't let her go. In fact, he tighten his grip on her and hurried her along even more. She commented about needing to get her things from the car but he promised to come out and grab them later. He just wanted to get her inside and check the back of her head. He wanted ice on her wound and let her sit.

" John, I can walk by myself." Avery said softly when they reached the stairs. John looked down at her a second before he abruptly let her go.

" Sorry." He muttered as he reached out and grabbed the screen door. He pulled it open and let her go in first. " The kitchen is in the back." He said when he walked in. They walked straight forward and through the living room. Once they reached the kitchen, John motioned towards the table. " Sit down."

" There should be ice in the freezer already." She said, sitting at the table.

She watched as he moved. He grabbed a towel from a drawer while he looked out the kitchen window. He spread the cloth out on the counter. It seemed to get a great amount of effort for him to pull away from the window and go to the freezer. He took out an ice tray then went back to the counter. Quickly he used the ice and a cloth to make her an ice pack. then returned the tray to the freezer.

" Thank you." Avery said when he handed the wrapped up ice. They met eyes as she took it and place it against the back of her head. John sighed and nodded.

" Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

" Yes, it just hurts a little bit, nothing I can't deal with." She said with a small smile. John nodded and sat down beside her.

" You can have the bedroom when we go to sleep. I'll take the couch." He commented.

" Oh no. I don't sleep well so I should take the couch. I will be up a lot." Avery said.

" Are you sure?" John asked.

" Yes beside, I am sure at the end of each day, you are going to be very tired. I thought we could just settle in then get started tomorrow." Avery said.

" And what are we going to be doing?" John asked.

" Well I thought we could start by you showing me the town." She said. " Start off slow." John sat back and nodded as he started to rub his chin.

" Yeah, okay." He said.

" When it becomes to much, you just tell me. Just say the word and we will do our relaxation techniques." Avery said. Again, John nodded but this time, he looked away.


	5. Chapter 5

_* Please Review! Thank you for all the adds to this story!*_

Avery sat on the floor with her back against old couch with John tucked up in his bed upstairs. It had taken some time convincing him she didn't want the bed but finally he given in and stopped fighting her. Avery didn't even try and fire up her laptop, she knew she wouldn't find any Wi-Fi. There was nothing around John's house. She had been lucky that her cell phone worked. As it was, she was making notes with her hand killing her.

John laid on top of his covers with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed at the ankles. His bedroom door wasn't closed, just in case she needed him sometime during the night. John sighed and looked towards his door and out into the hallway. Maybe he should just make sure she's really okay. With a loud sigh, John sat up. He swung his legs to the side of the couch and as soon as he touched the floor, he stood up.

Quietly John crept through his room and into the hallway. If she was sleeping, he didn't want to scare her or make her think he was creeping in on her. He just wanted to make sure she was okay. She had promised him that no matter what she heard, she won't go outside and if she did hear something, she'd come and get him but that didn't mean she'd do it. His Dr. Reid was a brave woman, stupid brave, and she didn't believe in the power of the scarecrow. John frowned and shook his head. She wasn't His Dr. Reid, she was just Dr. Reid. Avery Reid. Not HIS Avery Reid.

As John moved through the hallway, he could see that the light in the living room was on. When he reached the top of the stairs, he crouched down and looked into the living room. She was sitting on the floor with a chart open on his coffee table, right in front of her. He frowned and stood up. He took the stairs, quietly and quickly. He was going to try and sneak up behind her. He wanted to know what she was reading. At least, that was what he told himself.

He told himself he wanted to read her notes. He told himself he didn't want to steal another look at her in her black, tight pajama pants and grey tank top. As he walked towards the back of the couch, he reminded himself that he didn't like that she had pulled up her long hair and he could see her neck, completely exposed. John gritted his teeth together. She had no bra on. There were no bra straps laying across her shoulders beside her tank top straps.

Avery sighed and tilted her head to the side as she brought up her left hand. She rubbed hard at the back of her neck and he felt a sudden, almost powerful need to reach out and rub her shoulders and neck for her. His eyes fluttered shut as he imaged her sighing and growing relaxed under his hands. Would she like it if he kissed her neck? Does she like having a man nibble on her skin? Would she moan and rub herself against him? John's eyes flew open at the turn of his thoughts. He frowned and wanted to slap himself. This was his doctor, not some chick. Not his wife, who had lost interest in sex a while before her death. Sure, she had went through the movements for him but he knew she hadn't been into it.

Avery sighed again and dropped her hand as she righted her head. She linked her hands together, intertwined her fingers and cracked her knuckles. She leaned forward and snatched up her pencil. She just wanted to make a few more notes than she would try and sleep. Surprisingly she was feeling tired. The flight had taken a lot out of her_. _

_John seems uncomfortable in his house but I think that will pass. He does not like the cornfields and has asked that I don't go in there without him. He said it was because he didn't want me to get lost but I think it is more that he is thinking about the scarecrow. But I have to admit, I did get confused when I was in there. But I am no stranger to cornfields. I grew up with them all around me._

_I went in because I thought I heard someone call my name and I thought I saw a little blond headed boy running through it. I was going after the child when I heard John call out for me. I turned back to tell him where I was and when I turned back around, the a clearing that I hadn't noticed before. The boy was there. He was pointing and said, " He's coming." I thought he meant John. I tried to talk to the boy but he wouldn't speak to me after that. I turned back around to call out to John and when I faced the boy again, he was gone. He must have run off._

" There was no clearing there." Avery said as she stared straight ahead. " I know there wasn't."

" No, there wasn't." The sound of John's voice scared Avery so bad, she sprung up and spun around. "Sorry, Avery. I didn't mean to scare you." His eyes skirted down her face to her tank top. She was chilly and her nipples looked like tiny, hard pebbles against the fabric.

" It's okay." Avery said, not missing how his eyes flew back up to her face. Heat flashed through them so fast, it made her blush. She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted as she swallowed nervously.

" I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Was it her or was his voice a little deeper? Did it have a hint of huskiness to it? He must have noticed it too because he cleared his throat. " Ah, you need anything...before I go to sleep?"

" No. Actually, I was just going to turn in." She said, making him nod.

" Well, goodnight, Doc, Avery." He said as he started to back up. Did his eyes flow over her again before he turned and started back up the stairs?

NRNRNR

_His hands gripped her hips hard as John helped Avery find a rhythm that was driving her insane. She was panting while she rode him. Avery grabbed his right hand and made him cover one of her breasts. She leaned her head down and looped her tongue around his index finger before she sucked it in deep. John moaned as he watched through his heavy lids._

_" Oh damn, Doc." His voice trailed off. _

_At once the sensation overrode her like no other. Avery's head snapped back as she cried out her release. John grabbed his sheet, thrust his hips up and spilled himself deep inside her. His mouth went open and his head went back. Never in his life had he ever cum that hard. His legs drew up and parted because the orgasm was taking over him._

_NRNRNR_

Avery woke dead center in the middle of an orgasm that had her sweating. She clutched at the blanket while she squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered. She wiggled as she rode it through, writhing on the couch at how good it felt. When it finally started to die down, her eyes flew open. Her hands flew up into her face as she panted in confusion. Never had a dream ever given her an orgasm before. Never before had she had a dream about a patient either.

John's hot semen spurted out and covered his stomach as he came the second he woke. He pulled at his hair and twisted his hips as he groaned. His heels dug into his bed as his body tensed. He could still hear Avery crying out his name as she came above him in his dream. All to soon the orgasm was over and his cock started to soften and come to rest against his stomach. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.

Avery's face was flushed and her hands were shaking in complete embarrassment as she dug through her bag. She needed a shower and to brush her teeth. She needed to wash the dream away. She swallowed hard and forced herself to relax. There was no way John would ever know what had happen. He'd never find out she had had a wet dream and actually gotten off because of him.

John quickly went through his clothes in his dresser. He was going to shower, then make some coffee. He needed to forget what had just happen. There was no way it would, or could, happen in real life so there was no need to dwell on it. But still, he had to wonder, would she suck his index finger into her mouth when she was fucking him? Would she swirl her tongue around him like she had in the dream? With a sigh, he grabbed a pair of jeans, boxers, socks and a shirt. He quickly crossed his room and reached the door as Avery appeared in the hallway with her hair pulled up.

" Oh, I...I didn't know...you were up." She said as she blushed and dropped her eyes. John found himself blushing.

" I didn't know you were either." He muttered while he looked away.

" I was going to take a shower." She said quietly.

" Yeah okay. Go ahead. I'll just make some coffee for us." John said.

" If you want to take a shower first, I could start the coffee." She offered.

" No. Go ahead, Doc. I'll wait until you're done." He said quickly. They met eyes then dropped them right away. John stepped out into the small hallway. She stepped back, jumping slightly when the wall hit her back. She gave a nervous laugh and looked at him. He smiled then chuckled. " Go on, Avery. Let me know when you're done." He said as he started towards her. They passed each other with both laughing quietly again. Avery hurried towards the bathroom while he quicken his steps to the stairs. When she stepped inside, she grabbed the door but looked back at him. When he reached the top stair, he turned, his pile of clothes still in his hand. They caught eyes then looked away from each other.

Avery closed the door and leaned against it. She sighed and shook her head. It was just a stupid dream. She hadn't been with a man for a long time and John was a very good looking man. That was why she dreamed about him. She pushed away from the door and looked to the mirror. She gasped and dropped her clothes. Staring back at her was the little boy from the field. She looked behind her quickly but found she was alone. When she spun back to face the mirror, she was the only thing she was looking at.

" What the hell is wrong with me?" She muttered to herself. " Nothing. There is nothing wrong with me. I'm just tired. It was a long trip, that dream was intense, this is a new place. I'm just tired." She reached down and snatched up her clothes before she set them and her other things down on the closed lid of the toilet so she could rub her eyes.

John stood on his porch with his left hand in his pocket and his right one wrapped around his coffee cup. He had the cup raised to his lips as he stared out over the corn field. He was breathing slow and deep. It was going to be a long day and he knew it. The scarecrow had already come to Avery, she won't believe that the image of the child she had seen was really the scarecrow, but it was. He needed to go to the barn and check to make sure the scarecrow was gone. He was ready to step off the porch when his screen door opened.

" I'm done, " John turned around at Avery's soft voice. " if you want to take a shower now."

He smiled and nodded at her as his blue eyes quickly moved down her before he could stop himself. She was wearing faded jeans and two white wife beater tank tops. The straps of her bra told him it was black What was it about his Doc that made him unable to control himself? Why was he unable to hide it when he checked her out? Her cheeks were tinted red but he wasn't sure if she was blushing or flush from the shower. Her in the shower. An image of her wet with soap sliding down her flat tummy and over her hips slammed him hard. Would she have a small patch of soft curls between her legs? Would it be dark like her hair? John cleared his throat and spread his legs without thinking hard about it. He shifted his hips, needing to try and give himself a little more room in his pants.

" Ah, okay. Coffee is done." He said with his voice husky and low again. She smiled, almost shyly, as she nodded.

" Okay, thank you." She said.

" Alright so I will just jump in the shower then we can do whatever you have planned." John said as he started towards her. " I set out a cup for you, in the kitchen." He said while she stepped to the side to give him more to pass her.

" Thank you." Avery said. There was an awkward passing of the two of them where John put his hands up so he won't touch her and Avery backed against the door frame. They were facing each other with only a few inches between them. They met eyes a second before both laughed at their own awkwardness.

" I'll be back." John said as he hurried into the house.

Against her better judgment, Avery's eyes followed him as he casually walked through the house and to the steps. He jogged up them while she held her breath. She closed her eyes and shook her head while she yelled at herself to get it together. The dream was still fresh in her mind. She just needed coffee and to call Dr. Walter. That would clear her head. She started towards the coffee table by the couch, where she snatched up her phone and dialed her mentor's number. John was a patient. A patient and nothing else.

" Avery, how are you?" Walter's voice moved over her when he answer, calming her right away.

" I'm good. You?" She asked while she walked towards the kitchen.

" I'm wonderful, Sweetheart. Please tell me how things are going." The older man said.

Walter was in his earlier sixties and was well respected in their field. He always wore a grey button down sweater and was always smoking from his pipe. He had taken Avery under his wing, teaching her everything she knew. She looked at him like a father, which had always been fine for Walter. He adored Avery. They talked about the trip, the house and the cornfields, with Avery leaving the sighting of the child out.

" Do you know what happen to the farmer who was tending the fields?" Avery asked.

" You didn't hear?" Walter asked.

" Hear what?" She asked.

" He was fine in the fields a few weeks ago. Poor man dropped dead of a heart attack." Walter said. Avery's eyes widen in shock as she took a drink from her cup.

" You're kidding me." She said when she lowered the cup down.

" No and I won't tell Mr. Rollins that. It might feed into his fear." Walter said.

" Yeah, I'm not going to say anything." Avery agreed.


	6. Chapter 6

_* Please Review! The way I'm picturing Walter is after the Walter in this show called Fringe. Only my Walter isn't crazy like that Walter, lol. I hope this isn't to slow for everyone. I want to take my time with this story. I want to develop the things Avery is experiencing. I want her to not believe things are really happening.*_

" So what are we doing today?" John asked after they ate the breakfast Avery had made for them.

" Well, we are going to try something new." She said as he stood up. When he started to gather the plates, she rose but he held his hand up and smiled.

" No, Doc, you cooked. Just relax and let me clean up." He said.

" Are you sure?" She asked while he picked up her plate.

" Yeah, I got this." He said. " Now tell me about this new thing you have planned." Avery sank back down into her chair and sighed.

" It's a sensory memory trick. Since there are some gaps in your memory and nothing we have done have brought it back, I'm hoping this new trick and being here will bring some of those things back." She said. John set the plates in his sink and sighed.

" What if I don't want to remember everything?" He asked softly without turning around.

" I understand that there are unpleasant things in your past but if you want to move on, you need to accept them and remember them." She said. John turned around and leaned against his sink with his hands resting on either side of it. They stared at each other for a few seconds before she spoke, " Trust me." John nodded.

" I do, Doc. I really do." He admitted.

" Then let's started. I'd like to do this outside." She said.

" On the porch." John said

" On the porch." She repeated.

" And if it gets to be too much?" He asked.

" Then we stop." Avery said. John brought his right hand to his chin as he looked away. She watched as he fingered his bottom lip. He rubbed it. He patted it. Finally, he sighed and looked back at her.

" Okay." He said.

On the porch, John sat on one of the rockers while Avery pulled the other one up so she was in front of him. She moved forward and opened her legs so the inside of her knees came to rest against the outside of his. She held her hands out, palm side up. John swallowed down his nervousness and took a hold of her. Her small hands were completely enclosed in his larger ones.

" Now, I want you to close your eyes and focus only on my voice." John nodded and did as she ordered. " I want you to inhale slow and deep. Pull the air straight into your lungs." Again, John did as she ordered. With his eyes shut, he began to inhale slowly. " Pull the air down into you then exhale slowly. That's right, John. Good." She said softly while he exhaled. " Now, as we move through this excise, every time it becomes to much for you or if you need a break, I want you to do just that. I want you to squeeze my hands and we will stop talking so you can breath. Can you do that for me?"

" Yes." John said.

" Are you ready to begin?" Avery asked.

" Yeah." He said.

" Okay, let's start with Miranda. You once told me that you cheated on your wife with her but we now Miranda died a few years before you moved here." Avery made sure her voice was soft as she watched his face. He had told Avery about Miranda, about how Miranda had lived in the house before he moved there and had been killed. "Let's try and pull that memory up." John's shoulders slumped slightly.

" I'm embarrassed about that. I don't want you to know everything. I'm not really a cheater." He said.

" It's okay. You don't have to be embarrassed with me. You know I will never judge you. Now tell me what happen." She said.

" I went to Jude's place, looking for him, but he wasn't there. His wife, Miranda, was. She said he's would be there soon and she made me a drink." John started. " So I sat down at the table and took the drink."

" And you talked for a while?" She asked.

" I guess. She asked me about Mary. I don't know why but I told her that Mary and I weren't doing good. She sat down and pulled part of her dress up so I could see her thigh. And she had had the top of her dress undone. I could see her cleavage. I shouldn't have looked but I did. After a while she stood up and took my hand. I let her take me to the back of the trailer where her bed was." John said.

" Did you have an idea of what was going to happen?" Avery asked.

" I kind of did." John admitted. " I mean, I wasn't sure but I thought she was coming on to me."

" Which she was." Avery filled in.

" She was. She pushed me down to the bed and climbed on top of me. I felt like I couldn't move. I just watched while she undid my pants. I couldn't even think. I just wanted her so much and I didn't know why. I never wanted anything so much in my life before that. She pulled her dress up. I started saying that I loved my wife but she didn't care and I started to not care." John said.

" And you two started having sex." Avery said.

" We did."

" And did it feel real?" Avery asked. She wanted to focus on that memory because she felt that if he could understand that Miranda wasn't real, he might be able to start really letting go the imagine of the scarecrow.

" It felt...good. It felt real. It felt like I was having sex with a woman. I..." John blushed and cleared his throat. " I got off inside her." He admitted. The memory of the dream flashed through them both. Avery was so glad his eyes were shut because she was also blushing. Sexually things didn't embarrass her usually. She had patients pull themselves out and try and fondle themselves in front of her before but this man, well the dream was very fresh in her mind.

" Now after the sex you don't remember anything until the next morning, correct?" She asked.

" Right. I thought she might have drug me because I couldn't see right or really understand what was happening at the time." John said.

" So you had sex and you might have passed out or just fallen asleep then." She said. John's eyes snapped open as he squeezed her hands hard suddenly.

" That's not usually what happens. I don't usually just have sex and sleep as soon as I cum." He said quickly. For a minute Avery didn't know what to say to him. Her mouth opened, then closed. Confusion flew through his eyes as his eyebrows knitted together. " I don't...I don't know why I said that." Avery offered him a comforting smile.

" It's okay. Close your eyes and let's keep going." She said. John sighed but nodded. He closed his eyes and loosen his hold on her. " Now, let's focus on your time with Miranda. Let' slow everything done and start with you walking into the trailer. I want you to look around in your memory. Start looking at things inside and tell me what you see."

For the next hour they talked quietly with John's eyes shut and the two of them holding hands. She made him move through the events slowly from the time he left his house that night to the next morning when he woke in the trailer. She made him remember everything from how the sun made the back of his shirt stick to him to how the inside of Jude's trailer smelled but for the life of him, John did not crack on the memory of Miranda. He was even giving her small details on parts of Miranda's body that he had forgotten about, like the small tattoo at her hip. Avery shook her head as he talked. Instead of the imagine of Miranda disappearing like she should be, she was being stronger. That was not how that was supposed to happen. Finally, Avery sighed and sat back, making John open his eyes. Her hands slipped out of under his.

" Did I do okay?" He asked. Avery smiled and nodded.

" You did great, John. I'm really proud of you." She said. He smiled and nodded, bring his hands up to the top of his head. He linked his fingers together and placed them on his head.

" I can't believe I was able to remember all that." He said.

' Neither can I.' She thought to herself.

" Would you like to show me around your town now? I think we could use a break and I'd like to take you to lunch for all your hard work." She said.

" Yeah?" He asked, making her smile again.

" Yeah. Do you want to go to the town?" Avery asked.

John was staring at her while he thought. He always did that when he needed to process something. He would focus in on something and just stare until he made up his mind. She didn't usually want to shift under his gaze but John's eyes were intense. His gaze was moving around her face, taking her completely in. Avery stayed quiet. She continued to watch him as he watched her. Finally he sat back and looked away. He crossed his arms over his chest for a minute before he brought his right hand to his chin and started to stroke it.

" Okay." He nodded as he finally agreed.

" Are you sure?" Avery asked. John sighed loudly, dropped his hand to his lap and looked at her.

" Yeah, Doc. I'm sure." He said.

" If it becomes to much..."

" We come back." John finished for her, making her smile and nod.

" That's right." She said.

" Can I make a request?" John asked.

" Sure thing. This is all about you. You are in control. I'm just here to guide you along and catch you when you fall." She said. John tilted his head and leaned forward. He let his forearms come to rest against his knees and his hands came together. His fingers intertwined together.

" And who catches you when you need to fall?" He asked.

Avery suddenly found it very hard to breath. She forced herself to swallow as they stared. She knew she needed to look away from him but couldn't seem to break the eye contact. The heat of the day seemed to increase by ten degrees. The hair on the back of her neck raised up. Her hands closed on her jeans with some of the fabric was gathered up in her palms. Her lips parted a second before she bit down into her bottom lip.

" I don't fall." She whispered while they stared.

" Everyone falls." John said with his voice low. Like a light switch was thrown, both of them snapped back. John sat straight back in his chair, Avery jumped. Their eyes broke apart. " Sorry. I need to get some water." John muttered as he pushed himself up. He hurried away from her and went straight into the house.

" What is happening to me?" Avery whispered after she heard the screen door slam shut.

John put his hands in his hair and shook his head as he paced in his living room. Not again. This was not going to happen again. The scarecrow was pulling at them both. John could feel it and he knew she was too. His Avery was level-headed. She never stared at him. She never looked nervous. But out there, she had stared at him like a deer in headlights while all he could think about was smashing his mouth to hers and stripping her down.

" I need to make a phone call then I will be ready!" Avery called out through the screen door. John dropped his arms and looked at the door but she wasn't standing there.

" Okay. I'm just going to get a drink!" John called back.

Avery dug her phone out of her pocket and stepped off the porch. With her hand shaking she opened her contacts and pulled up Walter's number. She just needed to hear his voice. She wasn't going to tell him about the dream. She wasn't going to tell him that she had an almost overwhelming need to have John's hands on her. She wasn't going to tell Walter that she wanted to yank her clothes off and have John take her as hard as he could.

" Hello, Avery." Walter's voice made her eyes shut and she almost whined at the sound.

" I need you to do something for me." She said when she opened her eyes again. She started walking around the side of the house.

" Whatever you need, you know that." He said.

" I need you to look up Miranda Weatherby's autopsy report." Avery said.

" What are we looking for?" Walter asked.

" I need to know if she had any tattoos. I did the sensory memory on John but it didn't work. Instead of making Miranda fade and the reality of what happen appear, Miranda just got stronger in his mind. He remembered more and more about her." Avery said.

" That's strange." Walter said. " He shouldn't remember her that clearly. He should be able to tell you what really happen."

" Do you think I just need to try it again? I mean, maybe if we do it a few more times, Miranda will break away."

" That could be." Walter said.

" He said she had a small tattoo of her hip. He said it was a butterfly with blue wings and on her right hip. Can you just look that up for me?" Avery said.

" I can but you know that it's an impossible for him to know that, right? Miranda was dead before John moved to the area." He said.

" I know. I'm wondering if he knew her before though. I'm wondering if he had had an affair with her before her death and just hasn't told me." Avery said.

" That could be. Maybe he knew her and is just remembering one of their times together."

" That would explain the tattoo." Avery said.

" If she had one. I will get a hold of the corner's office and see if she had one then I will call you." Walter said.

" Thank you." She said.

She hung up her phone and started back towards the front of the house again. Of course John had to have had an affair with Miranda before her death. He was combining memories, that was why she was so strong in his mind. He either knew about the affair and didn't want to tell Avery or he really just didn't remember. Why they were having lunch, she would question him on it.

_" Avery.'" _She turned to face the cornfield when she thought she heard her name whispered. She frowned and shook her head.

" Stop it." She scolded herself.


	7. Chapter 7

_* Please Review! *_

Once again, Avery drove the rental car, following John's directions back into the town. They parked at a diner but didn't get out of the car right away. John was uncomfortable, Avery could tell. She shut the car off and sat back, once again allowing him to have some time. John's hands were clutched tightly together and resting on his lap. He was staring down at them.

" I..." He cleared his throat and looked back up at her. " I don't have to best reputation around town. I got mad at a few people and got into a few fights. I owed the seed store some money. I mean I paid it back but I owed them for a while." Avery nodded.

" I understand, but you need to understand that I am here to listen to you, not them. You were going through some very difficult things beforehand. You are going through something difficult right now. I don't really care about what people have to say about you and I won't hesitate to let them know that." She informed him. John sighed as tension left his shoulders. He nodded with a small smile.

" Okay." He said.

" This isn't an exercise, John. This is for us to just relax after the work we did this morning. It's important that we have some fun mixed in with our work, okay?" She explained.

" Alright, Doc."

" Let's get something to eat then just walk. You can show me your town and tell me a little about it. Right now I am just Avery Reid, your friend, not your doctor." She said.

" My friend." John repeated, making her nod. " Okay then, Avery, let's go and be friends." She smiled and laughed as they both opened their doors and stepped out.

" John, " She said when they walked around to the front of the car. " you just say the word and we go back to the house." He nodded.

" Okay." He said.

When they walked into the diner, John's heart sank. It was filled with people. People he knew but hadn't seen since the accident. People that had buried his family because John had been unconscious at the time. People he had yelled at, people that had known his family was falling apart. John reached out and lightly touched Avery's lower back, ready to tell her he wanted to leave when a waitress came forward.

" John Rollins? Is that you?" She asked as the chatter inside started to die down.

" Ah, yeah, Janet. It's me." He said. His hand closed on Avery's shirt without him thinking. Janet, a waitress that had always waited on the Rollins family when they came into the diner, smiled and grabbed him. She hugged him tightly. John brought his free right hand to her side and patted it.

" How are you!" Janet explained when she pulled away. Avery felt his left hand tug on her, pulling her closer to him.

" I'm okay. You?" He asked. He stepped into Avery more. Just being around her relaxed him and give him comfort.

" I'm good. Who is this?" Janet asked as she looked at Avery.

" Ah, this is Avery. Avery Reid, a friend of mine. She's been helping me with things." John said.

During their lunch, more and more people came up to them. Some sat with them for a few minutes, talking with John and smiling at Avery. As nice as people were being, neither John or Avery missed the looks they were getting. Being that it was a small town, she knew rumors would fly around about who she was and what she was doing with John.

After they ate, they took to the main street. Slowly they walked around, looking at the different stores. John pointed things out and told her a few facts or shared memories with her. They walked slowly around with her hands clasped in front of her and his in his pockets. A few people said their hellos to him and were pleasant but Avery knew John was still uncomfortable. For one, when anyone spoke to him, he would always touch Avery. He's take a hold of her elbow or lightly touch her lower back. She didn't even think he knew he was doing it. He would smile and nod at people but he was uncomfortable.

After a few hours in town, they decided to head back to the house to work. John stared out the window while Avery drove.

NRNRNR

Slowly the two made their way through the Rollins land. John was leading her towards the trailer that Jude and Miranda had been staying at, well the trailer John thought they stayed at. They walked through the overgrown grass and weeds in one of the unused fields behind John's house, with John gently helping her so she didn't trip. The day was hot and the only sounds they could hear were the crickets and an occasional bird. Avery had long since pulled her hair up but it did little to cool her down. As they walked, she could feel a bead of sweat start to trickle down the center of her neck. She felt sticky and hot in her tank top. John was wearing a flannel shirt that was pushed up pass his elbows. His face was slightly red and his hair had a small amount of sweat around it but all in all, he didn't seem as hot as she felt.

" Is it always hot like this in the summer?" She asked. John chuckled.

" Yeah." He said.

" There is no wind here." Avery said as they walked.

" When we get home, we'll have some tea and sit on the back porch. There's always a nice breeze there." John said as the trailer came into sight. " We are here." They slowed their steps down until they stopped. John was staring at the trailer while Avery looked at him. Once again, she was giving him the silence he needed. Finally, John let out his breath and looked at her. " What do you want me to do?"

" Let's just see if the door is unlocked. If it is, we will go in and go over that night again." Avery said.

" Do we have too?" John asked. Avery nodded as she brought her left arm up and took a hold of his right one. She started to rub it slowly.

" Yes and this is why. We know that Miranda was dead for a few years before you moved here. You are sure you had sex with someone here that night. We can both agree that something happen to you here so now we need to figure out what it was. Part of that is coming here. We are going to do the sensory memory here as well only instead of just talking, I wanted you surrounded by the environment." She said.

" You know I won't lie to you, Doc." John said.

" I know you won't and that's why I want to find out what really happen to you. If we can figure things out, one thing at a time, then soon you will be able to move on with your life." Avery said. " As always, I am right beside you. If it becomes too much, we leave. You need to lean on me, I'm here." John nodded then looked back to the trailer.

" Let's go then." He said as he reached out to try the door knob. He groaned silently when it turned and the door opened.

John stepped into the almost empty trailer with Avery coming behind him. There was a counter directly in front of her with a sink in the middle of it. To her right there was a left over bare mattress on the floor. She left the door open to allow the breeze in. The air inside the trailer was still and hot, hotter than the air outside. There was a split second where Avery felt like she couldn't breath. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard before she inhaled slowly, opened her eyes and looked around her.

" So over here was a table." John said as he walked off to his left. Avery placed one hand on the counter and let it slide as she started towards him. John stopped walking when he reached the side. He was frowning as he faced her. " I sat right here and Miranda, or whoever, sat right there." John pointed to two places were chairs could have sat. Avery nodded, glad to see that he was accepting the idea that there could have been someone other than Miranda there.

" And this was where you had the drink?" Avery asked. She could feel sweat starting along her hairline. She felt like her hands were getting shaky and her stomach wanted to heave suddenly.

" Yeah. So I finished the drink after a while and said I needed to leave." He shook his head and frowned deeper. " No, I didn't. I wanted too but I couldn't."

" Why?" Avery asked. She inhaled harder, needing to draw in her breath because she was getting lightheaded.

" I started to not feel good. The room tilted like I was really drunk but I knew I hadn't been. Miranda took my hand and pulled me up." John said. He came forward and grabbed Avery's left hand. He continued walking, forcing her turn. Since he was leading her, Avery shut her eyes to try and settle her head. " There was a curtain here. Miranda pushed it to the side." John swiped his arm out as if he was pushing the curtain to the side. " Then she pulled me through so I actually fell onto the bed." He quickly brought his arm forward, thrusting Avery forward. She hit the bed and fell onto it, rolling to her back right away with her eyes shut.

" Like that?" She whispered.

" Like that." John muttered as he climbed onto the bed. He straddled Avery with his hands on his hips. She shook her head as her own hands came to rest on her stomach. " And she took her shirt off." John said as he started to quickly unbutton his shirt. When all the buttons were undone, he pushed the shirt off and let it fall to the floor. Then he rocked forward with his hands coming to rest on either side of her head. He leaned down fast as her hands came up to touch to his bare chest. She spread her fingers out over his skin. His nearness was overwhelming her.

" And then?" She whispered, still with her eyes shut. John brought his lips to her right ear. The heat of his skin and his scent washed over her. Her head was spinning and she felt completely out of control. The smell of her shampoo filled John's head. Her skin was soft against his lips.

" And then we had sex." He whispered. Avery tilted her head back and moaned, making John's eyes shut.

" You had sex." She whimpered out, making him groan.

" Oh God, Doc, I want you." He whispered into her ear.

" I want you too." She moaned. He grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head with their fingers linked together.

" You're so beautiful." John whispered into her neck. He placed a soft kiss against her skin. " So amazingly hot. Do you know how long I have wanted you under me?" He raised his head to kiss her lips when something in his head snapped. He frowned and sat up straight. " What the hell am I doing?" He whispered a second before he scrambled up. "Doc! I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me." Avery opened her eyes only to have them roll back in her head as she moaned again.

" John." She breathed out as she reached for him. " Please, just take me!" He grabbed his shirt off the floor and threw his arms into the sleeves quickly.

" Come on, Doc. This isn't you." He said. She sat up and made a grab for his belt.

" Yes it is. You want me too, I can see it." She purred as her right hand started to stroke his hard on through his jeans. Of course he wanted her. She maybe his doctor but she was attractive, she was sexy and he was just a man. John grabbed her wrist and shook his head.

" No, not like this. This isn't us. We can't do it like this. We need to get out of here." He said quickly.

" Just get your pants off." She purred as she tried to pull out of his grasp. " It's gonna feel so good. I dreamed about it, you know." John frowned as he froze.

" What?" He asked.

" I had a dream that we were having sex. It felt so good." She continued to purr as she gazed up at him. " I woke up cumming." John felt his face pale. They had a shared dream.

" Oh my God." He whispered. He kept his frown as he grabbed her face, framing it with his hands while he stared into her dark, unfocused eyes. " Avery, look at me. We have to get out of here. Okay? We can't do this. We can't have sex."

" Yes, we can." She said.

" No, you will completely regret it." John said quickly. Avery's eyes suddenly fluttered shut and she went completely limp in his arms. Her head fell back hard. His arms wrapped around her quickly to keep her from falling back. " Doc!" John said in a panic. He shook her slightly. " Avery! Open your eyes!" When she didn't respond to him, John swore and swept her up into his arms, fireman style. He called out to her as he hurried towards to the door. " Come on, Avery! Come back to me!" He yelled.

He sped out of the trailer and ran a few paces away from it before he dropped to his knees. He laid her down the grass and started to pat at her cheek with his right hand while his left one came to her side. He shook her head side to side and called out to her. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were parted but she was breathing.

" Avery! Come on! Open your eyes!" He yelled. " Come on, Doc! Look at me! Come back to me, right now!" Avery's eyes opened slowly, then shut again. " That's it, Avery. Come on back." He said as he started to gently stroke her throat.

" John?" She whispered. " What happen?"

" What do you remember?" He asked. She swallowed and opened her eyes.

" You telling me where the table was. Then my head started to spin. I think it was just too hot in there." She said.

" You don't remember anything else?" He asked. Avery sighed, closed her eyes again and shook her head. She was vaguely aware that his knuckles were brushing against the front of her throat, sliding up then down over and over again.

" No, what happen?" She asked. John shook his head.

" Nothing, you just passed out." He said. He couldn't tell her what really happen. He couldn't tell her that he didn't know why he pushed her to the bed and climbed on top of her. He couldn't tell her that she begged for him to have sex with her and tried to take off his pants. He couldn't tell her that he wanted her so bad, he couldn't think straight, even before that day. " You just passed out. You must have gotten overheated. I carried you out here to cool you off. You feeling okay, now?"

" I think so." She said as she started to sit up. John sat back and started at her flushed cheeks.

" You sure you can stand up? You want to wait a few seconds, make sure your head is clear?" He asked.

" I kind of want to go back to the house. I feel weird." Avery admitted.

" Can you walk?" He asked gently.

" I think." She said.

" Let me help you." He took a hold of her arm and together they started to raise.

" I have never passed out before." Avery said as they started towards the house.

_" Wow, she's a tough one." Miranda said as she leaned against the door frame of the trailer._

_" She is." Jude said while they watched John and Avery walk away. John kept one arm around her waist while she leaned on him for support._

_" I thought we had her then it was like she just pushed me out." Miranda said._

_" We will get them. She will wear down. She's attracted to him already, she's just fighting it. We will just have to fight harder." Jude said before they started following the patient and the doctor._


	8. Chapter 8

_* Please Review! Okay, to answer the Miranda/Jude questions: They were really just ghost in the movie. The scarecrow needed a physical form for John to interact with, Jude. It needed Miranda to pull out some of John's weaknesses, Miranda. Their roll in the movie was to break John down so the scarecrow could control. Now the scarecrow will come after Avery and make her and John try and have sex because that would be Avery's weakness. She is John's doctor and as such, it would break her down if she broke her oath to protect people and have sex with a patient. In order for the scarecrow to possess and take someone over (Claim the soul for Hell), it first has to break that person down. Inside Avery can't help but be attracted to John, because who can't be? She finds him attractive but is strong enough to never act on that attraction. The Scarecrow senses that in her and is trying to pray on her weakness so that is why it is trying to make her have sex with John. Once she has broken, it will be easy for the scarecrow to take her over. Does that help or make sense?*_

Avery's eyes snapped open suddenly. She grabbed the back of the couch and yanked herself up as she panted into the darkness of the room. Her other hand was on her chest, right over her heart. It was slamming behind her ribs. She was whimpering softly as the dream coursed through her. With her hands shaking, she ran them through her sweat soaked hair.

_" I want you too."_ Avery swallowed hard as her own voice echoed through her head. She closed her eyes tightly.

_" John, please take me."_

" It was just a dream." She whispered into the night. " It didn't really happen."

_" It happen."_ A female voice that did not sound like Avery's voice said.

" No, it didn't." Avery answered.

_" Go to him. He's just up the stairs and down the hall. He sleeps in his boxers."_ Avery's head snapped up to the stairs as she felt herself being pulled up. With her eyes locked on the top of the stairs, she started towards them. _" Yes! Go to him!"_ Avery stalked to the stairs. She grabbed the railing and started to pull herself up before she frowned and closed her eyes. She stopped walking.

" What am I doing?" She whispered.

_" No, don't stop!"_ The voice said. Avery opened her eyes and started walking again. Step by step, she drew closer and closer to the hallway. To the hallway that would lead her to him. An image of John laying on his side with his hands stuffed under his pillow and the blankets around his knees flashed through her mind. _" He wants you."_

" I want him." She whispered when she reached the hall. The darkness crept around her as she walked. She brought her right hand to the wall and let it drag along it as she almost weaved. She smiled and closed her eyes.

_" Just climb on top of him and take his cock out of his boxers. He will be hard. Slip him inside you and ride him."_

" Yes." Avery whispered. She smiled and opened her eyes again.

John was a light sleeper. He hadn't always been but since being in Dr. Reid's hospital he learned how too. A patient had once gotten out of his room and came flying into John's in the middle of the night. The man jumped on John, scaring him half to death. So he learned how to sleep light. That was why he woke the second Avery pushed opened the door to his room. He opened his eyes as she planted her hands on either side of the door.

" What's wrong, Doc?" He whispered as he sat up.

" Nothing." Avery drew out.

" Are you sure?" He asked. She leaned forward and nodded.

" You look hot." She said. John frowned and started to rearrange the sheet around his waist. He was pitching a tent thanks to the wet dream he had been having, staring the woman in sleep tossed hair standing in front of him. It wasn't helping that she was wearing a white tank top, no bra and tiny little shorts.

" What?" He asked. She smiled and started into his room. Her smooth legs moving as if she was walking on air. Her tiny socks made no noise against his floor. He clutched the covers against his lap so she weren't see anything that would embarrass them both.

" You look hot." She said when she reached his side of the bed. She leaned down and slowing started to run one finger down the center of his chest. " You're sweating." She almost whispered. John held his breath as they stared at each other. The tip of her finger reached his navel and didn't stop. She dropped her eyes down to follow the movement. " Why are you all covered up?" She asked. She grabbed the sheet suddenly and snatched it down. John jumped at the action and grabbed her wrist before she could touch him again.

" Avery, look at me." He ordered. She blinked. She closed her eyes and started to inhale. When she started to pull away from him, she opened her eyes again. A look of confusion passed over her face as she looked around her room.

" Where...what am I doing here?" She asked softly. John sighed and shook his head.

" You were sleep walking." He said as he turned and slipped from his bed.

" I was?" She asked. From the moonlight streaming into the window, John could see her eyes slip down to his bare chest. She blushed and looked away.

" I'm just going to help you back to the couch." He said as he took a light hold of her arm.

" I have never sleep walked before." She said why she let him lead her through his room.

" Well, it's a new place." He tried to reason with her. He suddenly stopped walking and faced her. "Look, take the bed."

" No, I can't." She said quickly.

" Avery, please. You're tired. If you don't sleep, you're just going to sleep walk again." John said. In her confusion for the night, she found herself nodding.

" I am tired." She muttered.

" See? Go lay in my bed. I will be fine on the couch. It won't be my first night there." He said as he let her go.

" I don't understand what's happening here." She whispered as she looked at him with wide eyes. John nodded sadly.

" I know, Avery." He whispered. " Just go to sleep, okay? I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Then he turned and walked out of the room, partially closing the door behind him.

Tears spring to Avery's eyes as she looked back at his bed. What was happening to her? Why was she having these black out moments? Why did she wanted John so bad she couldn't think? Avery closed her eyes and started towards the bed. She was so tired she couldn't think right. That was what the problem was. Her stupid dreams were keeping her up. Avery shook her head, wiped at the back of her cheeks and climbed into his bed. It was still warm from his body and smelled like him.

Avery turned onto her left side and snuggled deeper into the blankets. She stared into the darkness of his room, breathing in his scent deeply. Smoke, vanilla, spices. His warmth washed over her, reminding her of just how long it had been since she had been in bed with a man. She missed that, not just the sex but the cuddling part of it too. And just having a warm body to take comfort in at night. She hated to admit it but she was horribly lonely.

John hurried down the stairs as he shook his head. This was not going to happen. He would not let the scarecrow do this to her. Avery didn't deserve this. She was a good person, with good morals, not like he had been. All she wanted to do was help him and John dragged her right into the shit. It was stupid of him to have agreed to come back to the house, stupid of him to think things would be fine.

As soon as John hit the floor of his porch, he took off running. He hit his front door and threw it open. Clad only in his boxers, he ran across the porch and down the stairs. He sprinted across his front yard and the dirt driveway. He didn't stop until he reached the edge of the cornfield. With his hands in fists at his sides, he started to yell.

" Leave her alone! She didn't do anything to you!" The wind kicked up around him and blew through the cornfield. The stalks swayed back and forth. John bent down and snatched up a rock. He hurled it into the field. " Do you hear me! Just back off her! Take me! You can't have her! Just leave her alone!"

_" Want her."_ The words whispered through the cornfield, making John shake his head.

" No. You can't have her. You took my life, my family, you won't take her." He answered.

_" Can't stop us."_

" Yes I can. I'm different now. I'm stronger." John said. His eyes scanned the fields but nothing jumped out at him.

_" You want her. We can give her to you. We can make her yours. You know we can give you everything you want."_

" No. Not this time." John said as he backed away. " I won't give in this time." He promised himself.

NRNRNR

Avery rolled from her side to her back and opened her eyes slowly. The sun was steaming through one of his bedroom windows, warming her even more. She sighed and brought her hands to her face. She shook her head and rubbed the sleep away. She needed to get up, shower, and clear her head. She was going to call Walter and tell him everything. She needed too. Walter could help her through anything and he won't judge her.

After her shower, Avery dressed and got ready for the day in the bathroom, knowing John was just downstairs. He was awake, she had heard him moving around when she left his room. The imagine of him in his boxers was burned into her mind. His trim chest and stomach, his hips, shoulders and arms. The thought made her eyes shut and her head shake. He may have been in the hospital for almost a year but that did little to affect his body. She shook herself hard and walked out of the bathroom to see John coming out of his room, dressed in a tee shirt and pajama pants.

" I need to tell you I'm sorry. I...used to sleep walk as a teen." She stuttered.

John kept his mouth shut but he nodded at her lie. She obviously didn't remember telling him that she had never sleep walked in her life. He understood why she was lying. It was her way of dealing with and accepting what was happening around them. He could understand that. He had done it too, at first. The idea of a haunted or demon possessed scarecrow was controlling him had been too crazy to accept.

" Oh yeah, that happens. New place can bring out old habits." He said to comfort her. She forced a smile and nodded.

" Yeah. I'm going to make a phone call then I will start making breakfast." Avery said.

" Sounds good. I'm going to shower then I will be down." John said as they started towards each other.

NRNRNR

Avery paced the porch as she listened to Walter's phone ring. Where was he? They always talked in the morning. She always called him and he knew that. She would report him, tell him how things were moving along and ask questions. Sometimes they would just talk about what their day was going to be like. But after five rings, Walter's voice mail kicked on. She left him a message, telling him she needed to talk to him.

NRNRNR

" So things are moving along well then?" Walter asked.

" Yeah. I still think we could be here for a few more months but John is making real progress." Avery's voice said through the phone.

" I'm glad to hear that things are working out. I know you were worried being this was your first time trying this type of therapy." Walter said, leaning back in his chair and smiling.

" I was but this has been a great experience for us both." Avery said, making her mentor nod.

" Talk tomorrow?" Walter asked.

" Of course. Goodbye, Walter."

" Goodbye, Avery."

_* In case this last part was confusion, Walter did not really talk to Avery. He just thinks he has. It was really the scarecrow. Walter never gets Avery's message. But the other conversations where Avery and Walter, only this conversation was Walter and Scarecrow*_


	9. Chapter 9

_* Please Review!*_

That day John and Avery spend going over his life. They walked around the outside of the house, staying out of the fields, talking about his childhood. She shared a few stories of her own, making him smile and nod. He asked her a few questions of his own, which she answered. They made lunch together and ate on the porch. After lunch there was more walking and talking. They focused on his teenage years. John continued to ask her questions about her life. She walked with her arms crossed loosely over her chest, his were in his pockets. He smiled and nodded while she talked. He found that he liked hearing about her life.

In the evening, they made dinner together. John wasn't much of a cook and he knew it so they decided to make pasta. They continued talking but it was light. It was just a man, talking with a woman, instead of a doctor learning more about a patient. She smiled and laughed at his lame jokes. He was really enjoying himself with her and she felt the same.

When it was time to go to bed, she flat out refused to take his bed again. They playfully fought about it until John gave up. They both laughed as he climbed the stairs. They said their good nights then Avery settled onto the couch. She listened as John made his way towards his room. It was then that Avery realized that Walter had never returned her call.

_" Now?" Miranda whispered to Jude as they stared down at a sleeping Avery. It was nearly eleven o'clock at night._

_" Now." Jude said with a smile. " Now we own them. Now we push her over the edge and farther."_

Avery's eyes snapped open suddenly. She pushed the blanket off her and sat up. With a small smile, she stood up and started around the couch. She stared straight ahead of her, taking the steps one at a time slowly. She was breathing slow and deep with excitement coursing through her. Her panties were already wet. She felt almost swollen with the need for John.

John sat up when the door to his door open. Avery was standing in his doorway. John pushed his blankets to the side and nodded his answer to her unasked question. She smiled and started towards him slowly. His eyes went to her hips as he harden up more and more. The head of his cock was starting to come through the slit in his boxers.

When Avery reached him, John leaned forward and grabbed the hem of her shirt. She sighed, lifted her arms and let him pull it off. John came up on his knees, tossed the shirt to the floor then grabbed her by her ribs. He yanked her to him and dropped his hot mouth to her left breast. He gently scooped her nipple into his mouth, pulling her onto the bed with him.

Avery moaned as his arms circled her. He turned her and helped her to lay back gently onto his bed while still latched onto her nipple. He settled between her legs with her hands running through his hair. She whimpered while she arched her back. His left hand slid up her spine while his right one went to her free breast. She started to rub herself against him, making him groan while he worked her nipples. He pulled his mouth away to circle his tongue around her tight bud. Avery cried out at the sensations.

John moved to her right side. He suckled against that nipple. He scrapped his teeth against it, tugging and pulling at it lightly with his eyes shut. His head was swimming with her moans and whimpers. She was running her hands through his hair, pulling it as she arched her back. He wanted her like no other. His cock was straining against her.

John pulled away and stood up on his bed, making her sit up. He grabbed his boxers to yank them down but Avery grabbed him as he slipped out of the slit. She sucked the head of his dick into her mouth as she glazed up at him. John put one hand on the back of her head and pushed her down so she could take his entire length into her hot mouth. John groaned at the sight. Her hands came to his hips. She gathered up the fabric of his boxers in her small hands as she flowed up then back down at his length. Her tongue swirled around his head. His muscles tighten than loosen. His hips thrust forward then back. He let her go on him until he felt his sac start to swell.

" Enough." John gritted out as he grabbed her shoulders.

" I want to taste you." Avery whispered.

" Get your panties off." He ordered in a rough voice.

Avery fell backwards on his bed. He pushed his boxers off while she grabbed her panties. Her little hips wiggled as she pushed them down. He chucked his boxers to the floor, staring openly at her sex. There was a small amount of curls between her legs but he could still see her. She spread her legs, making him drop to his knees. He grabbed himself and rocked forward. His left hand came to the bed, at the side of her head. He pushed into her body with no hesitation.

Avery's eyes went shut. Her hips surged forward. Her back arched. Her nipples brushed against his chest as they connected together. He latched onto her pulse and started to suck as his body rocked against hers. Her arms went around his neck with her hands spreading out into his hair. She cried out, meeting his fast, strong thrusts. He started to sweat as the pleasure flew through his body.

John quickly released her skin and attacked her mouth. Their fought against each other. Sliding and swirling around. She sucked at the tip. His body started to hit hers harder. Their skin slapped hard . He was panting, spreading his breath across her cheek. She grabbed at his ass, her nails piercing his skin as she moaned.

Her orgasm started to uncoiling deep inside her. It was rushing to the surface and she was lost to him. He forehead pressed into hers as she panted with her mouth open. When the orgasm finally hit her, she felt like she was slammed hard into his bed. Her head flew back, her legs spread even wider, she praised John as she shook and trembled.

John felt her body tighten around his a second before she called out. He dropped his head to her collarbone and started to cum inside her. He pushed forward, completely covered by her body. His hands went to his sheet. He gripped at it, pulling it as the orgasm owned him. His back arched as he moaned out loudly.

And when the feeling left them, instead of collapsing and falling asleep, John rolled over, pulling her with him until he was on his back. He was still hard, still ready for more even though he had just emptied himself inside her. He gripped her hips as she started to rock on him. She sat up, thrust herself hard. He narrowed his eyes, his tongue darted out and over his lips as his breath left him in a harsh rush.

Up and down. He disappeared and reappeared in her body. His hips rose. His hips fell. Her hands clawed at his arms. She grabbed his right hand and pulled it up to her breast. The second it was covered, she bent her head down and scooped up his index finger into her mouth. She closed her eyes and sucked it hard. John moaned at the sight.

A few thrusts in and Avery threw her head back. Her long hair brushed against his thighs. He dropped his hand back to her hips. Her hands came up to grab at her breasts as she rode him. Four more thrusts and she was cumming, Two more and he followed after her. His hips rose off the bed as he orgasmed through her body.

But it didn't stop there. When it was over, he grabbed her and yanked her off him. He turned, slamming her onto the bed on her back. She spread her legs as he moved down her body. He kissed and sucked against her skin. Her hands came to his head, pushing him to move faster, needing him between her legs. And he gave her what she wanted. He scooped her center into his mouth. He flicked his tongue against her. Up and down, around and around he went. He stroked her clit with his tongue. He sucked it, he flicked it, he circled it. She cried out and arched up. In a blinding rush of sensations, she came in his mouth.

With neither one questioning how it was happening, how he could maintain his hard on, how they able to continue having orgasms, they went on and on. He took her with his mouth, his fingers, his cock. She drank down his orgasms, pulling them down her throat or deep into her body. He took her on the bed, she fucked him on the floor. He held her against the door, drilling into her hard. She came on her hands and knees with him behind her. Over and over again until finally they were allowed to sleep.

_" That was beautiful." Miranda purred as she and Jude stood at the bottom of John's bed. _

_" That should do it." Jude said. They were watching the couple sleep. John was on his back with his hands resting on his stomach, his legs spread eagle and his cock completely limp between his legs. Avery was at his left side, sleeping on her stomach with both arms under the pillow. The sheet was pulled at their ankles. " That should be enough to break her down, destroy her mind so you can take her over forever."_

_" Her body is so perfect. Unflawed, unmarked. I can't wait to live again. I can't wait to have her body." Miranda said with a smile._

_" John will be easy enough to own once she has turned over." Jude said._

_" We will live through them while they rot in hell." Miranda said._

_" The scarecrow did well when he picked her." Jude said with a smile._

NRNRNR

Avery sighed as her conscience swam to the surface. She frowned with her eyes shut. She was aching between her legs, almost as if she had spent the entire night having sex.

John's eyes snapped open. He looked to his left in a hurry. His doctor was laying beside him, completely naked. His eyes went to her ass before he could stop himself.

At the same time, their long night flashed in through their minds. Avery's eyes flew open as her breath caught. She whipped around and for a few seconds, they stared at each other in shock. Avery paled. John held his breath. Her moans were ringing through his head. His groans replayed over and over in hers. Her body started to tremble.

" No." She whispered. Josh slowly pushed himself up and reached out for her.

" Avery, don't panic." He started.

" Don't panic?" She asked as she climbed out of the bed. " Don't panic!" She grabbed the sheet from the bed and started to wrap it around her. " Look what I did! I violated you!" John turned and grabbed his boxers.

" You didn't violate me." He said as he stood up.

" Yes I did! I'm your doctor, you're not well! I abused you!" She said with her voice raising in her panic. John stepped into his boxers, shaking his head.

" No, you didn't. It wasn't us. It wasn't your fault." John said quickly. " It was the scarecrow."

" It wasn't the scarecrow! I took advantage of you!" Avery said. " I'm going to lose my job! I'm going to go to jail!"

" No, it's going to okay. No one has to know about this." John said as he hurried to her side.

" Are you kidding?! I have to tell! We have to leave here! I can't be your doctor anymore! I have to turn myself in!" Avery yelled.

" No, listen, only you and I know this happen. We don't have to tell anyone. You don't have to lose your job. You don't have to go to jail." John said as he reached out to take her arms.

" No, you don't understand!" Avery said, stepping out of his grasp. " You aren't well! You aren't in your right mind! I am!" She shook her head as her eyes started to sting. " I need to make a phone call." She said when she started passed him.

" Avery! Wait!" John said. He turned and started after her. She was holding the sheet around her with one hand while the other held it up off the ground so she could run.

" I can't wait! What happen is horrible! What I did is inexcusable!" She said.

" You didn't do anything, I swear. We weren't in our right minds. We couldn't control ourselves." He tried to explain. She ignored everything while she took the stairs. " Think about it, Avery. Can you honestly remember how you came to my room?"

" John, stop. Please." Avery begged when she reached the bottom stair.

She hurried around the couch and snatched up her phone from the coffee table. Her hands were shaking as she dialed Walter's number. She needed to talk to him. He would give her the best advice. He would tell her how she had to go about turning herself in. But he didn't answer. His phone rang and rang, without his voicemail even picking up. She shook her head as she started to cry. In her anger, she flung it across the room, dropping the sheet in the process. Her cellphone hit the wall and dropped to the ground, breaking at once.

" Avery, just relax. Please don't cry." John said as he reached the couch. Avery rounded on him and shook her head. His steps stopped short as his eyes took in her nakedness. He spring to life at once. Avery flushed, realizing she had dropped the sheet.

" Look away!" She cried out as she dropped down to grab it. John turned around and shook his head.

" I'm sorry!" He said quickly. " Look, let's just relax for a minute. You go and take a shower. I will make some coffee and breakfast. We will eat and talk about what to do. How we handle this."

" There is only one way to handle this. I have to go to town and call Walter." She said. " I'm going to shower then head out."


	10. Chapter 10

_* Please Review!*_

Avery was standing in the shower with tears slipping down her cheeks. She had just ruined everything she had worked for. She had just thrown her entire career away, all for one night of passion. One very long night of very good passion. She covered her face, blushed and started to cry harder when she remember just how good John was in bed. She had never had sex like that before. She had never had that many orgasms before and they had never been that strong. John Rollins knew how to take care of a woman and then some. Her knees were starting to get weak at the memories alone. Her skin flushed and a tingle and want settled between her legs.

" No." Avery scolded herself as she dropped her hands. " He's my patient. He's not a regular man!"

_" This girl is pissing me off." Miranda said. _

_" She is strong, that's for sure." Jude agreed as they stood outside the tub._

_" Do something." Miranda snapped._

_" Don't worry, Love." Jude said._

John and Avery ate breakfast by themselves. John ate during her shower, she ate during his. He didn't want her to feel any more uncomfortable than she was, so he was trying to keep himself away from her. It wasn't easy for him. HIs body called out to her. He reached for her through his jeans when she came into the kitchen. He forced his hands into fists to keep himself from touching her. She was pale and upset. Her feelings were playing all over her face and he felt horrible.

" I broke my cell phone." Avery said quietly when John walked into the kitchen after his shower.

" I can take you to town. I'm sure someone has a phone you can use." He said. She was leaning against the sink with her arms over her chest. He had his in his pockets as he leaned against the door frame.

" Thank you." She said. Neither one spoke or looked at each other. Both thinking about their time together. She couldn't understand how she got to his room or why. John couldn't forget how she tasted and looked while she rode him. John cleared his throat and nodded after a while.

" Should we head out?" He asked.

" Yes." She said but again, no one moved. John sighed and looked at her but she was staring at the floor.

" I don't want you to tell anyone." He said.

" John..." Avery started.

" No, listen to me, please." John said as he quickly came forward. " Avery, you are an amazing doctor. You actually care about your patients. You believe in them. You love them, I can tell. You love your job. I don't want that to be taken away from you." He said. He reached out and took a hold of her arms. " Those people need you. I will transfer to a new doc but I don't want you to get into trouble."

" I can't not tell anyone." She said softly as she stared up at him.

" Can you just think about it, please?" He asked. Avery closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

" I do love my job." She whispered. John squeezed her arms gently.

" I know you do. And you are amazing at it." He said. She drew in a long breath before she opened her eyes and looked back at him.

" I just want to talk to someone, someone I know will keep it a secret until I decide on what I'm going to do." She said.

" Okay. Let's go to town then." John said quietly.

" Do you think you can drive? I just don't think I can right now." Avery said.

" Yeah, I'll drive." He said as he dropped her arms. " If you promise you will really think about what you're doing before you ruin your career."

" I promise." Avery said.

They started walking through kitchen with John dropping back to be behind her. She was tense and he could feel like it. He wanted to give her some space so she could think. Avery was completely wrapped up in herself. She was clutching her arms to her chest and her shoulders were tight. John's body, on the other hand, felt relaxed. His mind was clear, his body was light and he was able to move fluidly for the first time in a long time. He knew that had everything to do with the sex they had had but he was angry too. As relaxed as he felt, he was pissed. Avery did not deserve what was happening to her. He should have been stronger and resisted the scarecrow's spell.

When she walked into his bedroom, his thoughts were gone. When the touching and the sex started, there had been no time to stop. Something drove him on. Not something, the scarecrow. He had been in a daze. Sometime, somewhere in the back of his head, a warning bell had went off in John's head but then she had fasten her sweet mouth on his cock and nothing else had mattered. She hadn't taken advantage of him, maybe John had taken advantage of Avery. He shook his head and sighed as they stepped out of the house and onto the porch.

" Avery," He started.

" No, not right now, please." She said without looking back at him. He sighed again but decided to drop the subject.

Avery reached the car first. She opened the door and slipped in while he walked around the front of it. He wanted to talk her out of telling anyone what had happen but Avery was shut down to him and he knew it. She wasn't going to believe it was the scarecrow. John glanced out over at the cornfield as his mouth tighten into a line. He turned away and grabbed the door handle. As John sat down behind the wheel, Avery looked away from him. She still kept herself tight. He frowned and slipped the key in but when he turned it, nothing happen. He tried again, still nothing. He cursed softly, making her look at him.

" What's wrong?" She asked.

" It won't start." John said as he tried again. He shook his head and groaned. They were completely stuck.

" The town is 20 miles away." Avery said.

" I know." John said. He turned the key, still getting nothing.

" We can't walk that." She said quietly while he continued to try and turn the car on.

" No, we can't. It's to hot and would take to long." He said, finally giving up. He sat back in the seat and crossed his arms over his chest.

" My phone is broke." Avery said. John leaned his head back and looked at her. His shoulders went down at the pale look on her face.

" I know, Avery." He said. They stared at each other for a few minutes. She looked like she was in pain and John just wanted to reach out and hug her. " I'm sorry for all this." Avery blinked and looked away.

" It's not your fault." She said. John shook his head and looked out over the front of the car.

" Why don't you go into the house and relax or something. I will pop the hood and see if I can figure out what's going on." He said.

" Yeah, okay. I mean, it doesn't really matter, I guess. If the hospital doesn't hear from me in the next couple of days, they will send someone out to check on me." Avery said. Again they were quiet for several minutes before she grabbed the door handle. " I'm going to head in."

" Okay." He said as he looked over at her.

Avery nodded to herself and threw open the door. She left the car and shut the door without looking back at him. John gripped the steering wheel while he watched her. Her steps were slow and almost unsure, which was a surprise to him again. Avery reached the porch and grabbed the railing of the stairs. To his surprise, she turned and they caught eyes. A second later a flashback went through them both.

John was kneeling behind her, gripping her hips as she laid on her hands and knees. He drilled into her, pumping his hips as hard as he could. She threw her head back and cried out. One of his hands went into her hair quickly. He balled it into his fist and pulled it, making her moan and him groan. She begged for him to pull it harder.

John shook his head and swallowed hard. She blushed as her lips parted. He knew she was remembering it too. She covered her mouth with her left hand and slowly turned around. She was shaking her head as she started up the stairs. John closed his eyes, hearing her moans pass through his head.

As soon as Avery walked into the house, she shut the door and leaned against it with her eyes shut. Her head was starting to hurt and she felt completely drained of energy. She sighed and turned around. She peered out of the window by the door as John popped the hood of the car. He started to roll up the sleeves of his flannel shirt, giving her a clear view of his muscles as he leaned forward. Her heart started to slam in her chest. Avery turned back around and shook her head.

" No. You will not think about how his skin felt against you. You will not remember how strong his arms and hands are." She scolded herself as lust started to make it's way through her.

_" Did you shoot her up with that?" Miranda asked Jude as they stood in front of Avery_

_" No. That desire was all her doing." Jude said with a smile. " She's going to break, completely break soon. Once she does, we can own her."_

_" Should we introduce ourselves to her now?" Miranda asked._

_" I think that's the right thing to do." Jude said as he nodded._

Avery closed her eyes as she continued to lean against the door. Why did he have to look so amazing? Why did he have to be so great in bed? Why did he have to make her cum so good and so hard? Avery's eyes snapped opened. She shook her head hard and pushed away from the door. She needed to get some water, some nice cold water. But as she started towards the kitchen a sound from the basement pulled at her attention. She slowed her steps until she came to the doorway. She tilted her head and listened closely.

Was that scratching? She frowned as she listened. Could there be an animal trapped down there? Slowly Avery reached up and clicked on the light. The old wooden stairs and part of the floor came into view at once. With her heart in her throat, Avery started down the steps. Her hands came to the railing that was on either side of her. She held her breath as the scratching got louder the closer she came to the floor.

" Hello?" She called out. Avery laughed and rolled her eyes. " Like an animal is going to answer me, stupid, fucking idiot."

Carefully, slowly, Avery stepped off the stairs and onto the cement floor. She looked around for the source of the scratching. She came forward a few steps, blinking and listening. She thought the poor animal had to be trapped behind the washer but when she reached the middle of the floor, it suddenly opened up and swallowed her whole.

Down, deep down Avery sank through what felt like thick, muddy water. She started kicking her legs and swinging her arms, trying hard to swim up so she could breath. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and started to tug her down. Hands slammed down on her shoulders while another set grabbed at her ankles. She started to fight harder as fear gripped her. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, wanting to screaming but not daring to open her mouth. The second she did, that muddy water, or whatever it was, would pour down into her lungs and kill her.

John knew he wasn't going to find anything wrong with the car. The scarecrow was the reason it wasn't working but he had to make it look like he was trying, for Avery's sake. He hated that she was upset with him. John sighed and stood up straight, placing his hands on his hips. He need to get his tools from inside the house, then he could look around at the car.

Avery broke the hold the hands had on her and started swimming as hard as she could. Up, up, up, she went. She pushed through the slug. Her lungs burned, her chest felt heavy. Her body screamed with the need to breath but she wasn't opening her mouth. She was not going to die like that. She was not going to drown in some unknown water substance. A second before she thought her lungs were going to burst, she broke through the surface and screamed. She kicked and swung her arms, trying hard to move away from the middle of the...whatever she was in. But before she could move, hands appeared out of the water and grabbed her again. She was pulled down before she could gulp down any air.

John had just reached the door when Avery let out a scream that froze him to his spot for a second. He reached out and grabbed the doorknob. He threw it open and yelled out for her but there was nothing. With fear gripping his heart, John raced into the house, calling her name. Panic made sweat break out along his hairline. He ran to the basement and stopped just before he passed it. At the bottom of the stairs the cement floor shimmered.

" What the fuck?" He asked as he started down the stairs slowly. " Avery? Doc, you down here?" A ripple went across the floor.

Avery's mouth opened beyond her control. The fluid rushed her system. It tasted like rotten eggs. She thought she screamed through the water but couldn't tell. Her body started to relax. The hands started to leave her, one by one, but it didn't matter. It was over for her and she knew it. She was drowning. Her hair floated around her, wispy stands fluttered across her cheeks as her body gave way. Nothing would bring her back now, she was sure of it. Not even the strong arm that went around her chest. Not even the tugging motion that pulled her up and up.

" Doc!" John yelled when the air hit his face. He pulled her head out of the water. He swam on his back, pulling himself towards the side. " Avery, answer me!" She was completely limp in his arms. Her hair was covering her face. Chucks of something brown was clinging to the strands. " Come on, Doc! Don't die on me!"

As soon as John's hand came in contact with something solid, he pulled himself up. She came right with him. They tumbled back, with his back hitting the floor, her back hitting his chest. The floor, where the water had been, was hard again. John was panting hard as he laid Avery on the floor. He pushed all the hair from her face. His thumbs swept across her mud covered face as he called out to her. He dropped his head to her chest.

" Come on! Damn it!" He yelled when he didn't find her heart beat. John sat on his knees and frantically pressed his fingers into her neck. As his own air rushed out of his body, he pressed his cheek to her mouth and nose. But there was nothing. " Oh God, no! Avery, breath!" John yelled. He sat up and grabbed her shoulders. He shook her hard why he yelled. " Doc!"

CPR. He needed to do CPR. He jumped over Avery, putting himself on her left side. He linked his hands together and placed them over her heart. Thanking his wife for making him take the class, John started to pump against her. Her little body rocked as he worked the compressions, still yelling for her. 15 compressions he hoped was still the magic number. He leaned down, pinched her nose and fused his mouth to hers. He blew hard into her mouth. Two rescue breaths they had called it in class. He sat up again and started his compressions.

" Please, Avery." John begged as he worked.


	11. Chapter 11

_* Please Review! __**Caffiend04: **__Well you didn't expect them to walk up and shake her hand, did you? LOL __*****_

Three times John worked her chest. Three times he blew his own air into her lungs. He begged and pleaded for her to come back. He told her over and over how strong she was and how he wasn't going to give up on her. He pumped. He blew then her body gave a violent shake and she started to choke. Some dark brown, mud like substance started to bubble up from her mouth.

" That's right, Avery! Come on, fight!" He commanded as he rolled her onto her left side. He pounded and rubbed on her back. Avery started to cough and cry. " You're alright!" He started saying over and over again.

Avery's lungs burned like nothing she had ever felt before. She coughed hard, needing to expel the liquid from her body. John was rubbing her as he spoke quickly. She opened her eyes, seeing the floor in front of her was, once again, just a floor. She sobbed and threw herself back, needing to get away from it as fast as she could.

" It's okay!" John said as he wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her into his chest as he brought his mouth to her hair. She claw at his arms and kicked at the floor as she bucked against him. " Avery, it's me! It's John!"

" Let me go!" She screamed. She threw herself around, trying everything she could to get free before his voice broke through her fear fueled brain.

" It's John! Listen to me and calm down!" She fought and screamed, he moved with her, trying to hold her in place while he repeated over and over who he was. Finally, after a few minutes, she started to slow down. Avery pulled away enough to look at his face with her wide, wild eyes. Her chest shuddered with her sobs.

" John?" She almost whispered. He brought his right hand to the side of her head.

" It's over now." He said as he tangled his fingers into her slug caked hair. To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his neck and turned herself into him more as she cried. His own arms went around her back. He pulled her into him more until she was completely on his lap. She turned her face so it was buried more in his neck. Her tears wet his skin. " It's okay. We're out. It's gone." He tried to sooth softly while he rubbed her back with his right hand.

Her whole body was trembling. He continued to rub her and reassure her. She struggled to caught her breath between her sobs. She squeezed him tightly, as if she was scared he'd disappear. He promised over and over again that they were okay and that he had her. Slowly her sobs started to die down until they were almost nothing. She pulled away just enough to look at the floor. She hiccupped then shook herself before she looked back at him.

" It's real." She said after she swallowed a few times. " I...I felt them. They grabbed me. They...they pulled me under. It's all real." John nodded sadly.

" It's all real." He agreed. She looked back to the floor.

" Everything you have said about the scarecrow..." She almost whispered. John didn't say anything. She gave him silence when he needed it, it was his turn to let her have it. Her eyes were moving around the floor. She looked like she was searching for something but he didn't know what. After a few minutes she looked back at him. " They are why I have been blacking out, right? They are the reason I fainted the other day and why I can't remember coming to your room last night."

" Yeah." John said.

" Do you have any black moments?" She asked.

" Yeah, I do. I can't remember some parts of being in the trailer. I have said things to you that I wasn't sure why I said. I...I have been having dreams." He admitted the last part quietly, making Avery close her eyes.

" Sexual ones?" She asked.

" Yeah. About you." He said. Avery nodded.

" I have had them too." He was surprised although he knew he shouldn't be. Avery shook her head and opened her eyes. She looked back to the floor. " I didn't understand why. I have never dreamed about a patient before."

" I can't really remember the moment you came into the room either." John said.

" Why did they need us to have sex so bad?" Avery asked, looking at him again.

" I don't know." John said. Avery started to tremble as she rubbed her lips together. " Come on, Avery. We need to get this shit off us." He took her arm and helped her to stand. He noticed that she went back to staring at the floor so he squeezed her arm slightly, pulling her attention back to him. " Let's go upstairs, Doc." He urged gently.

NRNRNR

Avery stood under the hot water of the shower, staring at the mud as it slipped down her body. Silent tears made their way down her cheeks. A part of her felt terrified at what was happening to them, what had happen to her but another part of her was relieved. She wasn't going crazy after all. She wasn't losing her mind. Things were happening to her and to John. Despite everything, Avery started to laugh. She covered her face with her hands and started to laugh uncontrollably. She laughed. She cried. She laughed and cried, growing louder and louder until John knocked on door and called out to her.

" Avery! Doc! You okay?" She shook her head and turned around. She turned the water off, knowing her hair and body were cleaned.

" I'm okay!" She called back. She pushed the curtain aside and grabbed the towel but it occurred to her that she hadn't brought any clothes up. " Ah, John? Are you still there?"

" Yeah. You sure you're okay?" He asked through the door.

" Yeah, I just forgot some clothes." She said, knowing she was blushing.

" Oh, ah...I'll get you some and leave out here." He said.

" Thanks." She said, walking towards the door. She listened quietly, hearing him walk away. She shook her head and leaned it against the door. Why would she blush? He had already seen everything she had to offered. He had already put his mouth every where on her.

John hurried through the hallway and down the stairs. He was just going to grab her bag and bring it back up to her. He didn't want to touch her clothes when he was still covered in the mud, or whatever it was, from the puddle that almost killed her. John snatched her bag off the floor beside the couch then jogged back to the stairs and up them. She would get dressed, come out then he could shower. He wanted to wash all the shit off him but was nervous about leaving her alone.

" I'll set your bag down outside the door." John called when he reached the bathroom. As he bend down to set it on the ground, Avery opened the door. John's eyes went right to her clean, bare legs. Without thinking, his eyes moved up her towel clad body as he slowly started to stand. She leaned against the door frame when they caught eyes.

" Thanks." She said quietly. John cleared his throat and forced himself to look away. His body was stirring at the memory of her naked against him.

" Sorry." He muttered. He needed to apologize because he had openly checked her out and they both knew it.

" It's okay." Avery said. " It's not like you haven't seen me." John's eyes flew back to her face but she couldn't meet his eyes. She was blushing as she reached for her bag. " I'm going to change in your room so you can shower."

" Yeah, okay. Ah...let me just grab some clothes." He said, needing to give them both a break. He turned and quickly walked to his room, leaving her at the bathroom door.

Avery clutched her bag to her as she turned and went back into the bathroom. She snatched up her dirty clothes. She was going to get dressed then throw those clothes away, maybe even burn them. She sighed and started out of the bathroom at the same time he came out of his room with clean clothes in his arms. They dropped eyes as they passed each other. She reached his room when he reached the bathroom.

" Avery." John's voice made her closed her eyes. " Last night...it wasn't us so don't feel embarrassed. We had no control over ourselves. I would have never taken advantage of you if I had been in my right mind. I hope you don't hold that against me." Avery drew in a long breath, opening her eyes. She turned and looked back at him.

" We took advantage of each other. I could never blame you for what they did to us." She said. John's shoulders relaxed and she watched some worry disappear from his face. He offered up a small smile as he nodded.

" So we are good?" He asked. Avery couldn't help but smile back at him.

" We are good." She promised. He nodded again before he shut the door.

Avery walked more into his bedroom, lightly kicking the door shut behind her. She walked to his bed and sighed. The sheets were still a mess from them. A surprising tingle started to work its way threw her body. She closed her eyes and sighed loudly. A memory flashed through her of her laying on her back while her arms over her head. John was on his knees with his hands on her hips. He was biting into his bottom lip with his eyes narrowed as he moved her hips up and down on him. That tingle turned into a rush of lust as she felt herself start to grew wet.

Avery shook her head and opened her eyes again. She set her things down and started to dry off. She hated to admit it but that night was the best sexual experience of her life. Possessed or not, John had showed her tenderness and had been extremely attentive to her body and her needs. He had been passionate, lovingly. He hadn't done things for his own pleasure. He had drawn hers out like no one ever had. It was almost like he actually cared about her.

While John dried off and dressed, his mind was whirling around. How could he protect her? He had to protect her. He had failed his family, his wife and his children, but he wouldn't fail anyone else. He would not let the scarecrow take another soul from him. He would figure out how to beat the demon. John knew they could just leave but that wouldn't stop the problem. The scarecrow would just find another victim and John couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let anymore innocent people suffer. John grabbed the doorknob and threw it open as soon as he was ready. Avery appeared at his bedroom door frame.

" I remember something from Miranda and Jude." He said.

" What?" Avery asked as she started to gather her hair up to throw it into a bun.

" Miranda had a book. She said it was special, like a spell book." John said, starting forward.

" A spell book? Do you know where it is?" Avery asked.

" You believe it's real?" John asked in surprised. Avery nodded and smiled.

" Yeah, after everything that has happen, believing in a spell book is easy." John smiled as he reached her.

" Yeah, I guess that was a stupid question. She had it in the trailer. It was stored under the floor." He said.

" Can we do something before we head back there?" Avery asked.

" Sure." John would do anything she wanted now. He was so grateful that she believed in everything.

" Can we burn our clothes?" She asked, making him smile and nod.

NRNRNR

The two of them stood in front of the small fire John had started and then thrown their clothes onto. She was standing with her arms crossed over her chest. He had his hands in his pockets. Their backs were to the house. Neither one was speaking. Neither knew what to say. He wanted to know if she was still going to tell on herself but didn't want to ask.

" You're not crazy so you don't really need me to be your doctor anymore." Avery said.

" No, I guess not." He said.

" I am releasing you from my care and the hospital but that doesn't mean I'm leaving." She looked to her left as he looked to his right so they could met eyes. " I'm going to figure this out with you. I'm going to help end this."

" You sure you want too?" John asked.

" The scarecrow has pulled me into this so yeah, I'm sure I want too. I don't want to turn and run." She said. John sighed and nodded, completely impressed by his doctor. She turned back to face the fire again. " And, since you aren't my patient, and never really needed my help to begin with since you were never crazy, I'm not going to tell anyone what happen between us. You aren't sick, you weren't sick so I didn't violate you as a doctor. We were just two adults acting under the influence of something." John pressed his lips together and smiled, looking away from her too.

" I'm glad you aren't telling." He said. " You're a good doctor, I meant what I said. Your patients need you."

" I'm not going to tell the hospital that I am releasing you though. In two to three days of silence from me, the hospital will contact the police department. They will send someone out to check on us. I will tell the officer that my cell phone broke and our rental stopped working. He will report that we are doing well and then we can stay here until we get this shit together. As far as the hospital is concerned, they knew this therapy could take months for us to move through. They aren't expecting me back anytime soon." She said. John brought his right hand to his chin and started to finger his lips.

" Sounds good." He said. They were quiet for a few seconds before he said, " Can't say I really heard you swear before, Doc." He cast her a side ways glance and found her smiling.

" I have been known to swear, Mr. Rollins. Now that I don't have to be a professional all the time, I think you will see a new side to me." She said, making him chuckle.


	12. Chapter 12

_* Please Review!*_

" Let's make a deal." Avery said as they stood outside the trailer door. " Last time we were here, I passed out and you can't remember a few things so it's safe to say they were trying to take us over. So if one of us feels anything different, anything weird, at all, we leave." John nodded.

" Yeah, alright. Sounds good." He said, opening the door.

" So when she showed you the book, where was she standing?" Avery asked after they both stepped inside.

" Ah..." John started. He looked around the trailer then gently took a hold of Avery's shoulders. " she was here." He said as he guided her so her back was to the bed. " And I was by the door." He let her go then took the three steps it took to reach the doorway. He faced her with another nod. " She bent down and some how pulled the floor away." Avery looked down at the bare floor of the trailer before she kneel down.

" It must be broke here somewhere." She said as she felt along the floor. John came forward and sank to his knees across from her. He watched her small hands travel around as he frowned. A few seconds passed before a part of the floor gave way. She raised her eyes to meet his. His eyebrows went up as she smiled. " I found it." She said. Carefully Avery peeled the floor away to reveal a dark hole. She started to reach in when John's hands shot out. He took a gentle hold of her wrists to stop her.

" Let me. We don't know what's in there. I don't want you to get hurt." He said. She nodded and pulled her hands back. John took a deep breath and reached into the hole. He frowned as he touched something almost right away.

" Did you find something?" She asked.

" Yeah, I'm going to pull it out." He said. A second later a large, black book emerged.

" Oh my...damn." Avery whispered. John's heart was slamming in his chest. A part of him hadn't wanted to find the book.

Suddenly a blast of heat shot through the trailer, stealing both their breaths. Avery started to pant and almost whimper. Sweat broke out down the center of John's back. He dropped the book as her eyes shut. Her lips parted, drawing his eyes to them. His dick reacted right away as he remembered what that mouth looked like wrapped around him.

" John..." She whimpered.

" I know." He whispered as he framed her face with his hands. He leaned in, tilted his head and shut his eyes. In a groan his tongue came out and over his bottom lip. She grabbed at his wrists.

" Please kiss me." She begged in a breathless voice.

" Hell yeah, Baby." He whispered.

He crushed his mouth against hers, his tongue pushing it's way into her. She whimpered again as she moved her hands to his shirt. She gripped it and pulled hard. He crashed forward, pushing her backwards. They tumbled together to the floor in a smashing of teeth and slamming of their bodies. And that slamming was just what they needed to pull out of the spell. John yanked his head away from her.

" We have to get out of here." He whispered. She nodded quickly.

With the book in one hand and her left hand wrapped up in his right one, they ran from the trailer as fast as they could.

NRNRNR

" John!" Avery called out from living room.

" Yeah?" John asked as he came out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee. She was sitting on the floor with her back against the couch and the book opened on his coffee table.

" Do you have any unused bricks?" She asked.

" Yeah, out in one barn, why?" He asked as he sank down beside her. He handed her one cup. " Just enough cream to turn it." He said with a smile. She smiled in return.

" Thank you." She said.

" No problem. Now why do you need bricks?" He asked.

" The book says that if you use brick dust and spread it over the door ways, window opening and around the house, no one can enter that means you harm, including spirts. We can always use salt as a cleansing agent." She said as she brought the cup to her lips.

" Well I have a shit ton of bricks and we could smash them up with hammers. Do we need a lot?" John asked as he looked over the book. Avery shook her head as she took a drink.

" I think we should put it around the house then sprinkle the salt around the inside of the house to chase away anything negative." Avery said.

" Then let's get this done." He said. " The sooner the better."

" They aren't in the barn where you were found, are they?" She asked as she looked at him. John shook his head.

" No." He said, looking back at her.

" Okay. Do you have two hammers?"

NRNRNR

Together they walked towards the barn that was sitting at the side of the house. For the first time, in a long time, John felt hopeful. Avery believed him, which was more than Mary had ever done. Avery was working with him to figure things out. He didn't feel like he was in the dark anymore. And she was strong. Mentally she was strong and that made John feel strong.

When they reached the barn and walked in, John grabbed two hammers that were hanging on the wall. He handed one back to Avery then started to the back were the bricks where. The bricks had been there for years, way before John had come to the house. He had never figured out why they there and had never done anything with them.

" So should we just start hitting them?" Avery asked.

" I guess so." John said. He reached out and grabbed a brick. He handed it back to her then grabbed his own.

They each set their bricks on ground and started pounding away. Avery laughed a few times, making John glance up at her. Her smile was contagious and made him chuckle. Time after time, they broke the bricks apart. They collected the brick dust and put it into bowls they had brought out. Brick, pound, collect, over and over again until three of the bowls where filled.

" You think this is enough, Doc?" John asked as he stood up and wiped his hands off on his pants.

" We will see." She said, grabbing her bowl. " You know, you don't have to call me that. I'm not your doctor anymore." She said while she stood up.

" Yeah, I know, but I like it." He said with a smile that almost stopped her heart. " So come on, Doc."

John started at the back of the house while she started at the front. Slowly they started to spread the brick dust in the yard. They both moved in a clockwise motion. Around the house they went, calling out to each other to make sure the other one was alright since they couldn't see each other. To ease the tension, they started making it a game.

" First pet?" She heard John call out.

" A dog named Dog." Avery called. " Smores?"

" Love them! Cats? Evil or not?"

_" Avery, don't, please. I care about you." _Avery closed her eyes and picked up her pace. She scooped the dust out and started to sprinkle it down on the grass.

" Avery?" John called out.

_" I just want to help you!"_ Said the voice that was neither man or female.

" Go away." Avery whispered, opening her eyes again.

" Doc! Answer me, please!" John asked.

" Cats are evil!" She called.

" I reached your line! Where are you?" He asked.

" I'm at your start!" She said.

" You okay?" Avery looked out at the barn where John's family had died. She sighed and shook her head. She started to hurry towards the front. " Doc!" Avery frowned as she picked up her pace.

" I'm coming!" She called out. Suddenly Avery had an overwhelming urge to run. She felt like something was going to rush up against her back. Terror seized her heart, making her start to sprint. She threw her head behind her just to make sure there was nothing behind her. " John!" She squealed without thinking. A second later she slammed into his chest. As she stumbled back, he grabbed her bicep to keep her from falling.

" What's wrong? What happen?" He asked quickly.

" Nothing..." She said as she struggled to regain her breath. " Nothing. I just got spooked." He looked behind her as he pulled her into his chest. His arms circled her protectively. She dropped her bowl as her hands came to his chest. She started to grip the fabric of his shirt. " It's nothing. I thought I heard something but I'm sure it's nothing."

" Let's go in and get the house cleansed." He said as he tugged on her.

" Yeah." She agreed. He turned her in his arms and they hurried towards the front. He kept one arm around her waist while his other held her arm. " You know, I think we should put some brick dust inside the house too. Do you have more?"

" Yeah, I didn't use the other bowl." John said.

" Let's put it under the window and doors." Avery said.

" Whatever you want, Doc." He said softly. Avery looked looked up at his face. The way he said Doc that time was different then the way he had been saying it. She couldn't put her finger on it but it seemed softer, more tender.

They spread the rest of the dust under the windows and the doors. They worked in silence but sneaking looks up at each other. When they met eyes, small, shy smiles went between them before they dropped the contact. They cleared every window, every door leading to the outside then grabbed the salt. Around the house they moved, sprinkling it in corners and lightly around the hardwood floors.

_" What is happening!" Miranda snapped to Jude. " You said if we got her to believe I could take her over! She pushed me out at the trailer!" Jude frowned hard._

_" She's too strong. John is feeding off her strength. I can't take him over either." Jude said._

_" Now they have my book and they used brick and salt! I want her!" Miranda snapped. " Do something! I refused to stay like this forever!"_

_" Now, Miranda, just relax and let me figure this out." Jude said_.

Avery was sitting at the table in the kitchen while John boiled water for pasta. She had one elbow on the table and her hand twisting around strands of her hair as she read quietly. John turned around and leaned against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her with a smile. Her eyes were narrowed and her other hand was moving along the pages as she read. He had to admit, she was very attractive, very beautiful and just his type. She was petite, just like how he like women. Her skin was slightly pale and he liked that. He didn't like women that went to tanning beds. He like women who were natural.

" You found something good, Doc?" He asked softly.

" Yeah. Well, no. Not really." She said quickly. She bend a small part of the paper at the corner, shut the book and stood up. " So I think I'm going to double check the locks on the door."

" Yeah alright." He said as she walked out of the kitchen. She had checking the locks over and over again. John hurried to the book and opened it to the page that seems to bother her.

_Warning: The Sexual Attraction spell will only work on humans if there an attraction already exist between the parties. If the parties have no desire for each other outside of the spell, they can not be brought together. _

_You may use the spell to trick a human into thinking they are having sex with someone when it is just a demon but the human must be attracted to the demon first._

Slowly John shut the book as a smile spread across his face. That smile turned into a grin. His little doctor liked him, liked him liked him. Which was good because he was very attracted to her. At first he thought it was only because she was so caring and nice to him right from the get go. He kept the attraction smashed down because she was his doctor but she released him now. She knew now that he wasn't crazy. She liked him. He liked her. There was no real reason why he needed to hide his feelings now. Right? Now they were just a man and just a woman. Shut up in a house alone. Who had amazing sex together, drugged up or not. A man and a woman who were attracted to each other. John hurried back to the counter. Now how could he get her to admit she liked him?


	13. Chapter 13

_* Please Review!*_

" So tell me, Avery Reid, is there a Mr. Reid?" John asked as he sat across from her at his little table in the kitchen. He had set the table, pulled the chair out for her, and served her the pasta he had made.

" Ah no. No husband, no boyfriend, no anything." Avery said as she cut into the pasta.

" And why is that?" John asked as he started into his dinner.

" I don't know, really. I mean, I went on a few dates a few years ago but they didn't really turn into anything." She said, glancing back up at him. " The last one I went on was right before you were brought to me." John looked up at her then back at his plate.

" And how did that date go?" He asked. Avery laughed and turned her attention to her plate again.

" Not well. It was a blind date and he was 30 years old than me." She said. John smiled and stabbed at his pasta as he watched her again.

" You like older guys?" He wanted to know because he was a few years older than she was.

" I don't really have a type."

" Tell me about the date." John said.

" Well, he took me to the movies. A movie he had already seen and he told me what was going to happen the entire time." Avery said.

" Are you serious?"

They talked about all her dates, with John smiling and chuckling while she laughed at the stupid things she had been through with guys. John had nothing to compare it too. He had been with Mary since high school but he did tell Avery about stupid things he had done on dates with her. They ate and laughed. After dinner, Johh sat back in his chair with one arm draped over the back of another chair and his other arm resting on the table. Avery had her hands linked together, resting on the table top.

" So you have really, really, shitty luck with guys." John said, making her smile.

" To say the least." She said. " I just never connect with anyone, you know?" He nodded, drumming his fingers on the table top.

" Yeah, I can see that." He said. " Can I ask you something?"

" I think you and I are beyond not getting personal so ask away." She said.

" Why did you take my case? How did I come to you?"

" Well, whenever a new patient arrives at the hospital we have a meeting with all the doctors. We go over the case to decide who is the right fit. I never ask for anyone right off the bat. I take the patients the others give up on. I prefer it that way. So after you bounced around between a few doctors I actually decided to step in. I asked for you." She said.

" I remember the first time I saw you." John said, meeting her eyes strongly.

She had walked into his room, filling his drug fused vision with a smile that made her look like an angel. He had actually thought he had made her up. She had worn her hair down and wavy. It flowed over her shoulders as she crouched down next to his bed and quietly introduced herself to him. He had been laying on his left side because the drugs he had been given kept him barely awake.

" I cut your meds that day." She said, making him smile and nod.

" You did and I never thanked you for that. I hated those pills they shoved down my throat."

Together they cleaned up their dinner, doing dishes and talking. She shared her childhood with him. He watched her, nodding and smiling as she spoke. He laughed at her stories and shared some of his own. As two regular people, they got along great. He spoke about growing up on his father's farm but he didn't have a lot to share because she knew almost everything about him. They both just wanted to avoid talking about the book for a while.

" Coffee, Doc?" John asked.

" Sure then I guess we really need to dive into that book. We have put it off long enough and we need to figure out a way to beat this thing." She said as he started to get the coffee pot ready. Avery was walking back to the table to sit down.

" You really think we can?" He asked.

" I don't see why not. There has to be something in there about destroying it, right?" She asked.

" I hope." He said.

" I mean, when it's gone and the land is safe again, you can get the house back. You can start over here, if that's what you want." She said. John nodded with his back to her.

" That would be nice." He said.

After the coffee was made, John poured them both a cup and added the cream then faced Avery with a smile. She had her own smile as she stood up and came towards him. When he handed it to her, his finger tips brushed hers, making her blush and drop her eyes. John's smile spread as she muttered her thanks. He loved seeing this shy side of his Doc.

" Living room, Doc?" He asked.

With cups coffee in their hands and the book tucked safely under one of her arms, the couple started out of the kitchen. John brought his hand towards her lower back but didn't touch her. He started to open and close his hand with the need to touch her. But he wasn't sure if he could, or should. He had only dated Mary. They met in high school, he got her pregnant and they were married. Now here he was, out of his element with wanting another woman. He shook his head and dropped his hand down to his side.

" Floor?" Avery asked.

Together they settled down by his coffee table. She opened the book on the table as they let their backs come on rest against the couch. John was on her left side. He glanced at her as she flipped through the pages, looking for the spot she had stopped reading before dinner. He wanted to ask her about the sex spell but didn't want to embarrass her.

" Okay, this is where I stopped." Avery said as she came to her marked page.

John moved closer to her. Avery held her breath as his right leg came to rest against her left one and his right side came into her left one. His scent washed over her right away. Vanilla and spices. She swallowed hard as the memory of his skin against hers washed over her. She briefly closed her eyes, praying the image would leave her and she wasn't blushing, which she knew was a wasted pray. She was blushing and knew it. She shook her head and opened her eyes.

" You know, Doc," John was saying as his eyes scanned the page. " I have to say, since we spread the brick dust and the salt, I feel so much better." She looked at him in surprise. She was wondering if it had worked because she was still feeling lust for him and thinking about their time together.

" Really?" She asked.

" Yeah." He said as he met her eyes and smiled. " I feel lighter. The house feels cleaner. I can breath easier. I haven't felt this great in a long ass time." Avery couldn't help by smile.

" I'm glad." She said.

" I feel like I need to tell you thank you." He said seriously.

" For what?" She asked.

" For everything you have done for me. You changed my whole life and I can't thank you enough for that. You believed in me, when no one else did. You helped me and never made me feel like I was crazy." John said, turning more towards her and placing his left arm on the coffee table.

" You're not crazy, John." Avery said quietly.

" I know that now but I didn't before." He said. He took a chance and reached his right hand out. He never broke eye contact with her as he twisted some strands of her hair in between his fingers. " You make me feel like a normal guy again. And," he smile again as he titled his head slightly, " now that you know everything is real, you aren't taking off for the hills." Avery found herself smiling.

" Well I can't. The car is broke." John nodded and chuckled.

" Lucky for me than, you're stuck with me." He said. " Seriously, Avery, you have no idea how much this means to me." His voice dropped down as he continued to play with her hair and stare down into her eyes. " And I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm going to step up and protect you. I couldn't protect my family but I will protect you." Avery sighed and shook her head. To his disappointment, the soft strands of her hair slipped from his fingers.

" John, don't talk like that. It wasn't your fault that..."

His hand flew into the hair at the back of her neck. In a fast, fluid movement, he tilted her head back and pressed his lips against hers with his eyes shut. Avery's breath left her hard as her own eyes shut. She parted her lips without thinking. The tip of their tongues met slowly. He coaxed and guided hers to twist around his. She was nervous, her doctor side telling her it was wrong to be kissing her patient. Her female side telling her John wasn't her patient and it was fine. The apex between her legs was starting to tingle.

As they kissed slowly, they moved their heads in different directions, letting their noses brush against each other. He brought his other hand to the side of her face where he stroked her cheek. He sighed, putting his right hand against her lower back and pulling her towards him more. And Avery allowed it. She allowed him to pull her against him. This kissing was so different than all their others. It was sweet and loving, not completely lust and desire filled. The lust was there, they could both feel it, but it wasn't driving them forward as strong as it had before. All to soon, John pulled his tongue back. He pressed his forehead against hers and dropped his hand to her neck. His thumb started to lightly rub the front of her throat. Both kept their eyes shut.

" Is this okay?" He whispered. She reached up to place her hands on his shoulders.

" I don't know." She admitted in her own whisper.

" I'm not your patient anymore."

" I know. I'm trying to remind myself of that."

" I like you, Avery. Like how a man likes a woman. I haven't felt that way in a long time. Please tell me you feel something for me, something like that." He whispered without pulling away. He knew she did. The book's explanation of the spell told him that. Her light blushing when they met eyes and touched, showed him that but he needed to hear it. He just needed her to admit it.

" I...I do...feel something, for you." She said. John smiled for a brief second before he lightly kissed her.

" What is that something?" He whispered.

" I don't know. I'm not supposed to feel anything. You were my patient. I shouldn't be attracted to you at all." John kissed against her bottom lip.

" But you are." To his surprise, she kissed him then nodded.

" I am." He framed her neck with both hands and pulled away so they could look at each other.

" It's strange for both of us then. I never dated anyone but Mary. You were my doctor but now we are just two people. If you want, we can move pass all that." He said. His eyes told her everything she needed to know. He wanted her to push everything aside and God help her, she wanted to too. " I want to get to know you as a woman. I want to take you out on a real date when there isn't a scary scarecrow chasing us."

" I'd like that." She admitted, making him smile and nod.

" Am I doing this right? Am I asking you out the way the others have? It's been a long time for me, you know." Avery laughed, making him grin.

" It's perfect." She reassured him as she took a hold of his wrists.

" Can I keep kissing you?" He asked. Avery licked across her bottom lip, drawing his eyes to the movement right away. He groaned and moved in without waiting for her permission.

Not that she turned him down though.


	14. Chapter 14

_* Please Review!*_

They were wrapped up tightly into each other with their arms around one another, holding each other close. Their mouths were clamped together while their tongues twisted and untwisted around each other as they made their way towards his room. They both needed this and they knew it. They knew they needed to know they could be together and not be possessed. That there was something between them besides a fucked up scarecrow.

_" They are together! They are having sex on their own! Do something!" Miranda yelled to Jude as they stood just outside the brick dust on the yard._

_" Miranda, the last thing I need is you yelling at me right now. I am trying to think." Jude said. Both of them were staring up at John's bedroom window, not seeing but knowing what was happening between John and Avery. " We need get her alone. We need to pull her away from him and then we both hit her. She may be able to push you out but she can't handle us both. Once we own her, we lure him out and I can jump into him. I think if we take her first, he will follow. She has a very strong pull on him."_

_" That's great but they are covered by salt and brick dust. We can't touch her." Miranda said._

_" We need to convince her to leave the house. Once she's out of the house and over the line, we both jump into her at once. We own her, we own him. He will follow after her." Jude repeated._

_" He better." Miranda snapped._

Avery was on her back in John's bed with John over her, thrusting deep and long into her. Her nails were scratching against his back, feeling his muscles tense as he moved. John's right hand was holding onto her left thigh, holding it open so he could have more room to move. His left hand was at her neck, tilting her head back as he kissed her hard. This is just want they needed.

Avery whimpered, feeling herself getting closer and closer to the end. John kissed his way down from her mouth to her neck. He sucked against her pulse point with his strokes growing faster and harder. Her chest was pressing against his. He started to sweat and pant. Her hands flew up into his hair were she started to pull at the strands.

John knew the minute Avery started to cum. Her hips thrust up, her head went back and her mouth fell open. Her inner muscle clamped down on him, making John groan against her neck. He pushed into her once last time and felt his own orgasm bust out of the head of his dick. He squeezed his eyes shut and panted across her skin, calling out to her. She answered him, moaning out his name.

Afterwards, when they were both calmed down, John tucked himself up into her back. She was laying on his left arm with it wrapped around her shoulders. His right arm was tight around her waist. His face was nestled into the skin at the back of her neck. They were talking and laughing quietly together with one of his legs in between hers.

She told him stories of some of the crazier people she had come in contact with when she was fresh out of college. He told her of his first experiences with the patients at the hospital and how some of them scared him. She laughed, he smiled and teased her for making fun of him. His fingers danced up and down her arm. His breath was warm, his bed comfortable.

" Doc?" John whispered after they were quiet for a few minutes. He pushed himself up as he brought one of his hands to her face. He pushed her hair back and smiled at her closed eyes. He leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek. " Goodnight, Doc." He whispered.

_" They are cuddling!" Miranda yelled. " Give her a nightmare! Scare her!"_

_" How do you think I can give her a nightmare when they are surrounded by dust and salt!" Jude yelled back. " If you weren't dead, I'd kill you again! Stop yelling at me_!"

In the morning, John led her by her hand and a smile towards the bathroom. He asked her to shower with him after they brushed up and she had agreed. He pulled her against him and kissed her hard. Through the toothpaste, he could taste her natural sweetness. He shivered as he felt the top and underside of her silky tongue. She sighed against his mouth, turning him on more. John couldn't wait to get Avery under the water and soap her up. He had visions in his head of what she might look like covered in soap suds.

And the real thing blew him out of the water. Rubbing the soap into her warm body while she stroked his dick made him almost lose his mind. He let her continue touching him until he felt his balls tighten up. He yanked away from her, flipped her around and took her against his shower wall. He reached around and rubbed against the top of her center because there was nowhere he was going to last. And he did not want to cum before her.

NRNRNR

John's arms were tight around Avery as she washed their breakfast dishes. She smiled as he squeezed her and kissed the side of her neck. She was surprised at how easy it was for them to be together, how natural they seem to fall in line as a couple. But than she understood that given what they were going through it was only natural they were cling on to each other. They were alone. They only had each other to get through things. She just hoped that when things were done, when the scare crow was gone for good, they could still have something.

She closed her eyes and turned her face towards his. They nestled in to each other with both their eyes closed. Slowly they let the tip of their noses rub against each other. She shouldn't think they were a couple, she wasn't sure what they really were. They hadn't talked about it and she didn't want to ruin whatever moment they had going on. He felt too warm, too strong, and too right against her for her to take the chance and lose it. There would time to talk about all that after they figured out their next move against the scare crow.

" I'm going to the living room to look through the book for more ways to destroy him." John muttered low.

" Okay." Avery said. " I'm almost finished up here."

" You want to take some coffee on the porch then and talk?" John asked as he hugged her again.

" Yeah, that sounds great." John pulled away and smiled at her. He brought his right hand to the side of her head where he tucked her hair behind her ear.

" Is it always this easy?" He asked.

" Is what always this easy?" Avery asked. He started to gently stroked his knuckles against her neck.

" Being with you. Is being with you always this easy? Does it always feel this good? Because I feel great, like amazing. I'm relaxed." He said. Avery smiled and looked back to the sink.

" I don't know." She said. John leaned in and kissed her temple.

" Hurry up, okay, Doc." He said before he released her and walked away.

Avery hummed to herself as she raised off the dish she had just washed. She couldn't keep the smile off her face. She sighed and looked up and out of the window that was over the kitchen sink. Slowly her smile started to fade. Standing out by the barn where his family had been killed was the little blond boy she had seen running through the field. He wasn't looking at her. He was looking into the barn. Avery grabbed the rag off the counter and started to dry her hands.

" Avery!" John called out. " I'm running upstairs to change my shirt. It's looks hot outside. I'll be right back down then we can go outside!"

" Ah, okay!" Avery called out, her eyes glued to the little boy. " Hey, John?" When he didn't answer her, she knew he had already started up the stairs. She glanced over her shoulder then back at the barn. She shook her head as the little boy opened the door. She bit into her bottom lip and quickly started for the back door.

NRNRNR

John strolled casually down the hallway leading to his room, unbuttoning his flannel shirt as he went. He was all grins and was even chuckling to himself. One day into whatever he had going on with Avery and he just felt great. He had no other words to describe it. Him and Mary hadn't been happy for a while so it was great to be with someone as calm and collected as his doc. John pulled off his flannel, tossed it on his bed then moved to his dresser to pull out a tee shirt.

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" Hey! Little boy!" Avery called out as she stood on the edge of the brick dust line. " Don't go in there!" The little blond looked back at her, smiled then faced the entrance to the barn. He stepped in disappearing into the darkness at once. " Shit." Avery said.

She looked down at the dust line, unsure of what she should do. Being outside of the brick line was dangerous but he was just a little boy. With a deep breath and her eyes closed, Avery took a step over the line. The air around her kicked up suddenly, blowing her hair around her while pressing her clothes against her body. Suddenly, Avery felt like she couldn't breath. She wanted to step back over the line but felt like she couldn't move.

" Avs!" John called out as he hurried down his hallway in a clean, plain black tee shirt. Having a nick name for her besides Doc felt right to him and made him grin more. " You ready to hit the porch with the book?" When he was greeted with silence, John's grin faded and he frowned. " Doc?" He called out, reaching the stairs.

When she didn't answer him again, John quicken his steps. She had to be fine, she had to be safe. They were protected by the brick dust, right? John's pulse was slamming in his chest as he continued to call out to her, starting to run down the stairs at the same time. Not seeing her in the living room, he took off for the kitchen, stunned to see the back door hanging open and her standing in the yard, passed the brick line.

" Avery!" John yelled as he ran. Slowly she turned around with a smile.

" Join me." She said as she reached her hand out to him.

" Come back into the house with me, Avery." John said as he slowed his steps until he reached the line. Avery felt her smile as she shook her head.

" Take me out here, right out in the open. Fuck me under the open sky, please." She said. John reached out to her, almost touching her fingers when she stepped back.

" No, that's not the right way, come on, Avery. Come here. You want to have sex? We can have sex. Doesn't have to be in the bed. Just come back over here and I promise we'll have sex all over the house." Avery's dropped her arm and her head. She tilted her head and looked up at him through black eyes.

" Come out here and I promise we'll have sex anywhere you want." Her voice was completely gone and replaced by Miranda's. John dropped his arm and shook his head.

" Let her go, Miranda." He said.

" Now you know we can't do that." The voice changed again. It was Jude speaking that time. The sky above them started to change suddenly. It was growing dark with flashes of lighting starting in the background. " I need her." Again her voice changed. That time it sounded both male and female.

" Why? Why do you need her so bad? You took my family, why do you need her?" John asked as the wind picked up around her.

" Because she is pure and strong. Your daughter was anything but pure and strong. Did you know she was drinking, John? She had a boyfriend and you know how teenage boys are." The mutli sounding voice said as Avery glared at him. " Your son did nothing for us. We couldn't live through a child. Their souls are protected from us. Sure, we can kill them but we can't take their souls. Your wife, well she just wasn't strong enough for us. We lived off her soul for as long as we could but this one..." She closed her eyes and tilted her head up as it started to rain. " She is strong. She will give us life."

" Take me instead, please." John begged. Avery laughed and took a few steps back again. She looked back at him, her hair hanging in dripping strands as the light rain turned into a down pour.

" We will." Jude said through Avery.

" You can't kill her. She's important to too many people." John said.

" We don't want to kill her. See, Miranda will take her soul, I will have yours and we will live together again through you two. The scare crow needs fresh souls. We give him yours, we get your bodies. Then we will lure people here as he needs them. In exchange for the souls, we get to live forever." Jude said.

" Avery, I know you're in there! Fight them, please!" John begged.

" She can't fight us!" Miranda's voice screamed out.

" Yes, you can! Fight them! Come back! Avery, please!" John yelled.

Avery's dropped to her knees suddenly as her head dropped down. She sat on her knees with her arms hanging limply at her sides. John continued begging and pleading for her to come back to him. Avery screamed out and rocked forward, planting her hands in the mud. John crouched down, reaching for her without stepping over the edge.

" Avery, get up and come to me." He coaxed loudly. Her screams died down as she looked up at him.

" John?" She whispered. " What am I doing out here?" She asked.

" It doesn't matter. Get up and come to me. You're over the line, you have to come back, get up." He said. Avery looked around her, feeling completely stunned. She scrambled up and started running towards him when suddenly she was snatched backwards. She was ripped off the ground and flew back through the air as if a rope had been tied around her waist. She screamed for him, disappearing straight into the barn with the door slamming shut behind her. " Fuck!" John yelled. " Avery!"

The storm died down at once.


	15. Chapter 15

_* Please Review! Warning: This chapter has parts that might make people uncomfortable and I'm sorry.*_

_" Why isn't he coming?" Miranda snapped as she paced just outside the barn._

_" He'll come. There is no way he will leave her out here." Jude said. _

John paced through his living room, pulling at his hair, unsure of what to do. The book was open in front of him, sitting on the coffee table, just where he had left it. John was muttering to himself, over and over again. He needed answers and he needed them now. He couldn't leave Avery out there with them. Lord only knew what was happening to her.

Lord only knew. John faced the coffee table with a worried frown on his face. He dropped straight to his knees and clasped his hands together with his elbows on the table, interlocking his fingers tight. His eyes went shut as his forehead came to his hands. For the first time in years, John started to pray. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, held his hands together harder. He only helped the Lord would listen to him after so many years of silence.

" Look, I know I haven't reached out to you in years and I'm sorry. I know I should have stayed in church with Mary, I should have went more often and I'm sorry I didn't. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect my family. But I need you right now. Please, please help me. I don't know what to do, how to save her. Avery doesn't deserve this. This is all my fault, not hers. My family is gone, please don't take her from me too. I need her. I...I care about her and that is something I never thought I'd feel again so please, show me what I need to stop them. Show me how to save her. Help me save her. Please protect her from them." He prayed. With a loud sigh, John opened his eyes and they went right to the book.

_Only the blood of one strong and pure can destroy the demon forever_.

" Blood? She has to bleed?" John wondered out loud. " No, that can't be right. I can't let her bleed. What am I supposed to do, cut her? I can't cut her. That's insane."

With his heart slamming hard in his chest, John stood up and started towards the back of the house. He grabbed one of the steak knifes out of the cutting block and tucked it into the back waist band of his jeans, covering it with his shirt. He threw open the back door and stepped out, ready to do whatever he needed to do to save her. With slow, even breaths John walked straight up the brick dust line and stopped. He stared at the barn with a frown. John blew out all the air from his lungs and...

Then he stepped forward and over the line. At once he was surrounded by wind. It swirled around him so hard that it blow up some of the dust and made John bring his arms up to protect his face from the debris as he stopped walking. The wind howled and roared in his ears but just as soon as it started, it stopped. It didn't die down slowly, it just came to a complete stop. John lowed his arms and jumped when he saw Miranda and Jude standing in front of him.

" I knew you'd come." Jude said. John took a step back without thinking and frowned.

" Is she dead?" John asked quietly.

' Please don't let her be dead.' He prayed.

" No, of course not." Miranda said as she reached out and looped her arm around John's. " Come, let's go and see what we have done to her." She tugged on him, making John start walking again. Jude fell into step, coming to John's right side.

" If you don't want to kill her, then why take her?" John asked as he pulled his arm away from Miranda.

" I thought we explained it to you, already." Miranda purred while one of her hands slipped down John's arm. He couldn't stop the shudder that went through him as his stomach rolled at her touch. Miranda leaned forward with a smile. "Shuddering already? You must remember what the sex was like between us. We can do it again quickly if you want."

" Miranda." Jude warned.

" I remember being disgusted." John snapped as they reached the barn.

" I seem to remember you orgasming deep inside me. You held my hips while you pushed in one last time then came all through me." Miranda whispered before she and Jude disappeared. John frowned and swallowed down his disgusted.

John grabbed the door to the barn and slid it open quickly. He walked in and sucked in his breath hard. He blinked his eyes, trying to understand what he was seeing. Avery was just in front of him, suspended in midair it looked like. She was floating upside down several feet above the ground with her legs crossed at her ankles and her arms out at her sides. She was in the Christ position but inverted. While her long hair was hanging down over her head, her shirt was still covering her chest and stomach as if she was standing upright. John tighten his mouth, held his breath and started forward. She was pale with her eyes shut. Her body was completely still. He couldn't even tell if she was breathing.

" Oh Avery." John said softly when he reached her. Her face was even with his. Slowly, he framed her face with his hands, glad to see she was still breathing and loving that her skin was still warm. Apart of him had expected her to be cold to the touch. " Open your eyes, Doc, please." He whispered. He touched her cheeks, her closed eyes lids, her soft lips. " Look at me, please." He begged. Avery's eyes fluttered opened but he knew at once it wasn't her. Her eyes were black as she smiled at him.

" You came for me." She whispered out in a voice that didn't belong to her. He frowned and dropped his hands from her face.

" Let her go." John ordered. The smile that spread across her face made John sick to his stomach and step back from her without thinking. He forced himself to swallow hard.

" We are going to be amazing together." She whispered as her eyes shut again.

A table started to squeal across the floor towards them, from behind Avery. John looked past her quickly then back at her. She crossed her arms over her chest without opening her eyes, then her body started to move. Her head and upper body started to rise while her lower body went down until she was even with the ground. The table rolled right under her and stopped. Slowly Avery was brought down until she was resting on top of it. John came around to her left side, still staring down at her face.

" She's so beautiful, don't you think?" Miranda asked when her and Jude appeared on her right. " Of course you do or else you won't want her so much. I would wager to say, you care more about Avery than you did for your wife at the time of her death." John knew she was trying to bait him and he refused to give in. He refused to have a reaction.

" You have so many questions, John. I can see them flying around in your head. Why don't we take a few minutes and talk." Jude said. John shook his head and looked up at the couple.

" I just don't understand." He said. " I don't understand any of this."

" It's simple, really. When Miranda and I moved here, all I wanted was a simple life. I wanted to grow corn and support my family that way but the ground here is cursed, as you have learned. I spent all our money on trying to get things to grow only to have nothng happen. We had nothing to live off of and then, I found the scare crow. He gave me everything but, like you, I was too blinded by my weakness to repay him in the way I should have. All he asked for was souls and I was too weak to gather any for him. To teach me a lesson and show me the error of my ways, the scare crow made me kill my family and then myself." Jude said.

" At first I was pissed that my husband killed me. Being tortured in hell was horrible. It was painful and scary." Miranda said. " But then you and your little family came to live here and the scare crow promised to release us if we delivered you to him. He promised to let us live again through your family. You were our way out of that hell but your stupid wife ruined that. She wasn't strong enough for me to live through again so she had to died. You were supposed to die too but you didn't."

" The moment you and your little doctor hit the land here, " Jude started.

" We knew she was perfect." Miranda interrupted as she reached out and lovingly stroked Avery's cheek.

" Don't you touch her!" John snapped as he pushed Miranda's hand away. Miranda just smiled and shook her head.

" So protective of her, you are. That's sexy. You weren't that protective of Mary." Miranda purred. Again, John refused to take the bait. Avery's arms shifted and came to rest at her sides. Her shirt came up and the right cup of her bra went down, exposing her breast to the them all. " You know what I love, even with everything that is going on, the sight of her half naked is making you hard, don't deny it. I can see your want for her in your eyes. But I can't blame you. Her body is amazing. I have loved sitting in on her showers. If I was still alive, I won't have minded taking her to my bed." Miranda reached out again and let her fingertips punch at Avery's nipple. John felt his body tense up. He wanted to move, wanted to push her away from his Avery but felt like his limps wouldn't listen to him suddenly. " Her skin is flawless and pale, so soft." With Miranda's eyes locked on John's face, she leaned down. Her tongue came out and circled Avery's nipple a second before she sucked it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and moaned, bring one hand to the top of Avery's head while the other one came to Avery's stomach. She started to slide it down like she was going to slip into Avery's pants.

" Don't." John managed to get out with his teeth smashed together.

" Tell us something, John. What does she taste like?" Jude asked. John's mouth tighten as his eyes narrowed. Miranda's hand moved into Avery's pants. John was helplessly but to watch the movement behind her zipper while Miranda continued to suck against her. Avery was still not moving. After few seconds, Miranda's hand reappeared. She brought her fingers to Jude's mouth. He grinned as he leaned down. His tongue snaked out and over his dead wife's fingers. " Oh, she's sweet." Miranda pulled away enough to say,

" Oh course she is. You saw the way he ate her out." She clamped her mouth back down on Avery's nipple. Their control on John snapped suddenly and he knew he could move.

" Get away from her!" John shouted as he jumped forward. He grabbed Miranda by her shoulders and pushed at her hard. Miranda popped off Avery with a frown. John quickly started to fix Avery's bra and shirt. " Keep your whore hands and mouth off her! Do not touch her again!"

" How did you do that?" Miranda hissed out. She shot a look to Jude. " How did he move out of the spell?" Jude shook his head slowly.

" I don't know." He said as he stared at John.

" Maybe I'm not as weak as you think I am." John snapped.

" I doubt that. Now, as we were saying earlier, we felt her strength and knew she was the key to living again. We started on her right away, with Miranda trying to take her over but she resisted her hard. The young lady refused to admit to what she was hearing and seeing."

" Why did you make us have sex?" John asked, looking back up at them.

" We felt her attraction to you and how hard she fought against it so we knew that was the doorway to owning her. We knew if we could exploit that weakness, if we could make her think she had destroyed what she had worked for, we could have her. We needed to make her mental weak. We had to break her down to take her over. We needed her morals to break and thought sex with you was the key to destroying her. We wanted her to come to you on her own so we planted the dreams. When that didn't work, we tried for the sex in the trailer but she pushed Miranda out, stunning us both. We finally figured out that we had to possess her together to make her fuck you that first time. One of us wasn't enough to pull her down. We needed to work together." Jude said.

" So why didn't you just stay in her when you made us have sex the first time?" John snapped.

" It actually takes a lot out of us to possess people. When we got her to room, I pulled out and came into you. Once the sex started you were both so into it, that we pulled away to watch for a bit and to rest. I felt you coming back into yourself so I pushed hard against you. We felt Avery swim to the surface a few times and it took both of us to keep her under. And that took a lot of energy. We needed a break afterwards. We expected you two to sleep longer than you did and we underestimated how much energy we used. So by the time we were rested up, Avery had closed herself off again and we had to start all over again." Jude explained.

" So you tried to drown her." John filled in.

" We weren't trying to kill her." Miranda snapped.

" No, of course we didn't want her to die. She was just so strong we thought that if we scared her, that crack we had put in her mind would open back up. But it didn't work. When you found Miranda's book we tried to possess you two AGAIN, but for some reason, her strength makes it hard to own you." Jude said.

" So what happens now? You just jump inside us and live our lives?" John bit out.

" That was the plan but she keeps shoving us out. We need to completely destroy her soul so she won't fight us." Miranda said.

" And how do you think you are going to do that?" John was scared to ask but he needed to know what their entire plan was.

" By showing her all the horrible things that are waiting for her soul." Miranda said with a smile as she walked to Avery's head. She shoved her hands into Avery's hair and disappeared. At once Avery's body started to trembled.

" What's happening to her?!" John asked in a panic. Avery sobbed without waking up, making Jude smile.

" My guess? Miranda is giving her a taste of the hell that is waiting for you two once we have your bodies." Jude placed his hands on the table and leaned over Avery as she started to cry more openly and shake harder. " Would you like to see what she's seeing?" Jude asked.

He didn't give John a chance to say no. He grabbed John by his shoulders and the visions started right away. Avery's piercing scream was the last thing John heard before everything went black.


	16. Chapter 16

_* Please Review! Now this chapter is disgusting, you have been warned.*_

The pain searing through Avery's body was unlike anything she had ever felt in her entire life. Her skin felt like it was being peeled off of her body slowly. She squeezed her eyes shut and screamed as tears started to pour from her eyes. She pulled at the chains that were around her wrists and ankles. Her back arched off the table she was laying on and her eyes flew open. She looked down her left side which only increased her screaming. Her skin was being peeled away, right down her side. Blood was pouring as her rib cage was exposed. Shock should set in soon. She should pass out from blood lost and pain, right? But she wasn't.

She looked away because if she didn't, she'd throw up. But above her was thousands of wriggling, screaming bodies, men and women alike. They were naked with some missing limps, eyes or parts of their faces. Avery's shook her head as her eyes took in the scenes over her head. She continued to scream and struggle, every movement pain filled. She closed her eyes as the horrible, disfigured people at her sides laughed. One of them stuck it's finger in between her ribs.

" This isn't real!" She screamed as she arched her back.

" It's real." Something hissed into her right ear. It's tongue darted out and into her ear.

" Avery! Open your eyes, please!" She heard John yell. She tossed her head to the left side and saw him chained to a wall a few feet away from her. " Don't break! It's not real! No matter what you see or feel, it's not real! Pull out of this!" A naked blond woman who had blood dripping down her body came to his side with a large whip that looked like it was lined with pieces of glass.

" John!" Avery cried out.

" It's not real!" He screamed. " Say it!" The woman cracked the whip then raised it up. Avery shook her head, her eyes following the movement.

" Don't! No! Please!" Avery screamed. A second later the whip came down and embedded it's self into John's stomach. He grunted and she could see he was holding in his pain.

" Look at your blood!" A demon said at her left. Her eyes went to it's horrible face as it picked up a shiver of her skin with a grin. Rows and rows of razor sharp teeth appeared as it brought the skin to it's mouth.

" Look at me, Avery! Not at that! It's not real!" John yelled. Avery's terror filled eyes looked back to him as the woman yanked the whip out of his body. He hunched over and groaned as pieces of his shirt and skin came with it.

" John! What's happening!" Avery screamed. " Stop! Please!" She begged. The woman looked at her and grinned.

" You can end this, you know. You can end all this. Just submit to us. Say it's real. Accept that is happening and all the pain will be gone." The woman said.

" Don't, Avery! It's not happening! Don't listen to her!" John yelled. The demon with her skin stuck it in it's mouth and started making a slurping noise so loud that Avery gagged and shut her eyes.

" It's not real." She cried as she shook her head. John screamed, pulling her eyes back to him. The woman had plunged a knife deep into his chest and was yanking it down the center of him. " John! Stop, please!" She begged.

" Don't watch!" John begged her. " Please! It's not real!" He screamed. The woman's knife slit him straight down to the waist band of his pants. She dropped the knife and stuck her hands into his stomach. " It's not real!"

" What is happening!" Avery cried.

" Say it and his pain will stop." The woman said as John screamed again. Fires roared up around them, sending the temperature in the room soaring high. Avery shook her head and cried harder. " Look, Avery! Look what I found! It's his stomach!" Avery gagged, cried, and screamed as the woman pulled out a sac from John's middle.

" It's not happening!" John screamed. Avery shook her head.

" Say it!" The woman yelled, bring the stomach to her mouth.

" Avery, don't!" John's screams were drowned out by the laughter of the demons around her. The woman started to stroll towards her. How John was still alive with blood pouring down him and his other organs spilling onto the floor was beyond Avery. Her own pain was making her shake uncomfortably.

" Say it's real and save him!" The woman yelled. Avery sobbed. " It's the only way! Say it and believe it!" A second later she sank her teeth into the organ, making Avery scream so loud that her throat started to hurt. She shut her eyes and screamed and screamed and screamed. " Say it." The woman whispered in her ear.

" Can I cut the top of her head off and eat her brain?" Something on her right asked.

" Don't say it, please!" John begged as he started to cry.

" It's real." Avery whispered as she started to believe it. " It's all real." The demons around her exploded in the laughter and howls. The people above her, reached for her and cried. John screamed her name and at once, the pain left her.

NRNRNR

John's eyes snapped open from his spot on the floor. His hands flew to his chest as he looked down his body. He rubbed and patted himself over and over again, needing to make sure everything was in tact and he wasn't ripped open. He was panting, almost whimpering and whining as he checked himself over and over again. He looked quickly to the table Avery was laying on. He hauled himself up and looked down her face. Sweat was along her hairline and glistening across her face. Her eyes were closed and she was pale.

" Avery, open your eyes, Doc." He said as he took a hold of her neck. " Come on." He said. She sighed loudly but her eyes opened.

" John." She breathed out.

" It's done, okay? It wasn't real. We need to get in the house." John said as he bent over her. " Come on, Baby." He slipped one arm under her knees and the other under her shoulders. " I'm going to pick you up, okay? Put your arms around my neck."

Her arms snaked up and circled his neck. He stood up, pulling her into his body as he did it. He turned and started towards the barn door, looking around as he moved to make sure Miranda and Jude were gone. He was praying the talking and taking on their human forms had drained them for a while, at least long enough for John and Avery to make it to the house.

" You smell good." Avery purred as she brought her mouth to his neck. John froze before he reached the door. " Like sweat...and sex." Her tongue flicked out and against his skin.

" No. Please, no." John whispered.

" What's wrong, John?" Avery asked without pulling out his neck. Carefully John started to set her down. Avery turned as his arms came to her sides. She smiled up at him, pressing herself against him. Her eyes were completely black. " You wanted me once before. Don't you want me now?" John shook his head with his eyes wide.

" You're not Avery." He said.

" No, I'm not." Miranda's voice said. John stepped out of her reach as he continued to shake his head.

" Finally, she gave up." Jude said from behind John. " I honestly didn't think she would." Miranda/Avery held her arms up and did a little circle.

" What do you think? Her body suits me, right?" She asked with a grin. Jude smiled as he came to John's side.

" It does." He agreed.

" I think I just need to color her hair and cut it. Think she will look good as a blond, John?" Miranda/Avery asked.

" Oh I don't think John will care. He's not going to be caring for much of anything in a little bit." Jude said, clamping his hand on John's shoulder.

" You can't have her." John whispered. Miranda grinned and placed her hands on her hips.

" I already have her. She gave up. You heard her." Miranda said. " Tell you what I'll do." She grabbed Avery's shirt and pulled it off. " I will let you fuck her...me, one more time before Jude takes you over. Would you like that? Would you like to be inside her one more time? I will can change my voice so it sounds more like hers and you can pretend I'm still her." Miranda offered.

" Give her back." John whispered as he stared.

" No. I like the way her body feels. I like being alive again." Miranda closed her eyes and drew in a sharp breath. " Feels great to breath again." She shuddered then looked at John and Jude. " Let's cut him, do the blood offer to replay the scare crow, then you can take him over."

" That sounds great." Jude said.

" You can't. I had the scare crow destroyed." John snapped. Jude started to laugh while he turned and started towards the back of the barn.

" It's cute that you think that." Jude said. Miranda grabbed John, spun him around then looped her arm with his. He felt completely helpless as she walked them to follow Jude. She slid her hand down his arm to take his hand. Her skin didn't even feel like Avery's anymore. What was once soft and warm, was turning cold and clamping.

" We have a surprise for you." She said as she squeezed his hand and took a hold of his arm with her other hand. She let her head come rest against his shoulder.

Jude walked over to the trap door John had found and pulled at the door. It swung open and the dried up, dead body of his friend spilled out onto the floor, making John hold his breath. He shook his head in disbelief. Miranda giggled, squeezed his arm and looked up at him. Jude smiled proudly down at the body. Miranda moved closer and nestled her face into his shoulder.

" Don't worry about him. I fucked him and let him cum before I killed him." She said. She pressed her lips against his shoulder but stared at the body. " He sucked in bed. He wasn't nearly as good as you are. He was sloppy with his kisses and his thrusts were unsteady. Not like yours." She smiled and looked up at him. " When you thrust, it's strong and sure. He meant nothing to me." She took a hold of his chin but John twitched his head away from her hard.

" Don't fucking touch me." He snapped.

" Let me get the big guy out." Jude said before he disappeared into the room.

" John." Avery's voice came through quietly. He looked down at her face as she tilted it up towards him. Some of the black started to leak out of her eyes.

" Avery?" He whispered.

" Don't give up." She whispered.

" I won't. Don't you..." She shook her head and closed her eyes. She swallowed hard, cleared her throat and looked back at him, with black eyes again.

" Oh, sorry about that." Miranda said with a nervous laugh. She looked towards Jude. " Jude, hurry up!"

" I'm coming!" Jude called. Miranda looked back up at John.

" Don't get your hopes up. That won't happen again. Once we rub some of your blood on the scare crow, it will seal me into her and Jude into you." She explained.

" Why aren't you using her blood?" John asked as the passage from the book came to his mind.

" Because her blood is too pure." Miranda said.

" How is she so pure?" John asked, needing to keep her talking so hopefully, Avery could push Miranda out. " Because it's not like she's a virgin. She wasn't a virgin before me so what makes her pure?"

" It's not her physical body that has to be pure. It's her attitude. She cares for other people in a way that is completely rare among humans now. She has given up her life to care for the sick. She has given up on having her own life, a family, all to care for others. She makes more money than most people could ever hope for and yet she lives in a modest, one bedroom apartment and drives an old car. She takes nothing for herself. That makes her completely pure in nature. She is selfless." Miranda said.

" How do you know all this?" John asked. Miranda motioned towards the secret room as Jude appeared, pulling the massive scare crow out.

" The scare crow told us. He pulled it from her mind after you two arrived." Miranda said. " Come on, John. It's time."

" Let me just set him up against the wall. Bring John over, Miranda." Jude grinned and looked back at her. " Avery, I guess I should be calling you in public."


	17. Chapter 17

_* Please Review! *_

John's free hand went to his back where he started to pull the knife out of his waist band. He tucked it into his side, praying he had what it was going to take to save them. He needed to cut Avery. He needed to spill her blood on the scare crow and only hoped she would be able to forgive him. He started to sweat and swallow as he and Miranda watched Jude set the scare crow up and against one of the walls of the barn.

" Jude." Miranda's voice was a little breathless and it made the two men look at her. Her eyes were shut tight. " Something is happening."

" What?" Jude asked, going back to his work.

" Avery." John whispered.

" I think she is fighting me." In the middle of her sentience, her voice broke. Avery's voice came through, making Jude whip around.

" Get him over here, now!" Jude commanded. " We need his blood before it's too late!" Miranda grabbed John's arm and started to tug him.

" Avery! Fight it!" John yelled.

" It's too late for her!" Jude yelled. " Come on, Miranda! I have to hold him up!" Jude leaned against the scare crow, knowing there was no time to tie it up. They needed some of John's blood and they needed it now.

" Don't listen to him, Avery!" John yelled, refusing to allowing Miranda to move him.

" Come on!" Miranda yelled to him.

" Avery!" John yelled. Miranda dropped his arm and doubled over, making both Jude and John yell.

" Get out!" Avery yelled as she stumbled back.

" Jude!" Miranda screamed from somewhere inside the barn. Avery fell to her hands and knees. Jude's face twisted in anger and the storm outside started again.

" Avery?" John asked as he slowly sank down beside her. He reached out and slipped his arms around her shoulders as she coughed.

" The things...she showed me..." She whispered.

" They weren't real." John said.

" They are going to be real." Avery turned her head so she could look at him. " They are going to take us over and do that to us forever. We will never be free of the pain."

" Yes, we will. We need to get back to the house. Come on." John said as he tried to help her stand. As she started to raise, John gathered her to him. His arms went around her waist as hers circled his neck. She was trembling and whimpering but he didn't think she knew it.

" Get away from her!" Miranda screamed and suddenly Avery was ripped away from John. She flew across the barn and was slammed into the wall. She fell to the ground like a limp rag doll.

" Avery!" John yelled.

A gust of wind went around him and John was lifted up. He was thrown back, with his back hitting the wall before he crumbled down, landing on top of the scare crow. The doors, front and back, of the barn blew open and off their hinges. The rain started to pelt it as part of the roof collapsed. John grabbed and covered his head to protect it from the debris. He looked across him and saw Avery was within his reach. The lighting outside was bright and the thunder clapped loudly a few seconds later.

" Avery!" John yelled as he reached out for her. The knife was laying between them.

Avery groaned but looked up at him. Slowly her right arm stretched out towards him as she turned to her stomach. A small amount of blood was slipping down her chin from her mouth. John pushed away from the scare crow to start to crawl towards her when a vine from the scare crow snaked out and wrapped around John's waist. His finger tips just touched Avery's when he was yanked back.

" John!" She yelled. He was twisted around so his back was flat against the scare crow. A tugging started somewhere in her head and on her chest but she refused to give them. " No!" She screamed and tried to push herself up. Pain shot through her left leg, making her look down. There was gash down her leg and it was bleeding hard. She looked back to John as he struggle to break free from the scare crow.

" Get out! Avery, run!" John yelled to her as the wind started to drive the rain into the barn.

And that was when Avery noticed the knife. She frowned and pushed herself forward, ignoring the searing pain from her leg as the rain started to hit her and the barn shook around them. The wind was howling so loud it sounded more like screaming than actually wind. With her right hand, she slammed it down on the handle of the knife. Another vine started it's way around John's throat.

" Hang on!" She called out to John.

With everything in her, Avery pushed herself up. The wind intensified , trying hard to push her back but she refused to give in. She did not push that woman out of her body just to be beaten by wind. Screaming starting ringing in her ear as the tugging at her brain got harder. She knew what that meant. She had finally realized what that feeling was and she flat out refused to allowed Jude and Miranda to take her over again.

More vines were weaving their way around John. He was completely unable to move and she knew it was only a matter of time before he wouldn't be able to breath. She struggle, gripping the knife in one hand and pulling herself along with her left hand digging into the old wood of the barn. Rain pouring in from the collapsed roof and the opened spaces at the barn's entrances.

" Don't!" She heard someone yelling and knew it wasn't John. His mouth was covered and his eyes were wide as he stared at her. " Stop!"

But she wasn't going to stop. Voices were whispering in her head, promising her unbelievable amounts of pleasure is only she would give them, give in to the scare crow. They promised her the world, promised her and John would live forever but she knew better. She knew what would really happen if she gave up. There would be no pleasure. There would be nothing but endless amounts of unbearable pain for them both. She frowned and pushed on. She ignored the stinging pain of the rain as it bit down into her skin. She read the book, she knew what had to be done and she would do it.

With her leg screaming in protest, her hair and clothes plastered to her body, Avery finally reached John. He was trying fight, she could tell because the vines were tightening around him trying to hold him still. He seemed to be pleading to her with his eyes. Without thinking or pausing, Avery brought her left hand up. She held her breath then let his knife slice a line down the center of her palm.

" NO!" The screaming word echoed through the barn so loud, she wanted to cover her ears. The word rang through her, hurting her head and making her close her eyes. She dropped her knees by the scare crow and slammed her bloodied hand down on the vines that were covering John.

The ground started to tremble. The barn started to sway around them. Screams rose up from everywhere at once. The vines around John started to smoking the second her blood was smeared across them. They fell away from him. John propelled himself up at once. He threw his arms around her and pushed them hard. Avery fell back onto her back with him landing on top of her.

The screaming continued as her arms and legs went around John to hold him tight to her. She squeezed her eyes shut as the screaming, the wind, and the rain intensified. His face was buried in her hair. They held onto each other tightly, both panting hard. Behind them, the scare crow burst into flames. All the remaining walls and roof started to tumble down.

" We have to go!" John yelled, pulling out of her hair. He jumped up, pulling her up with him as the back wall of the barn started to fall.

" I cut my leg! I can't run!" She yelled over the noise.

Without looking down at her, John bent down and hauled her up and over his shoulder. He took off running. His arms were tight around her legs. Avery grabbed the back of his shirt and looked up as the rest of the barn closed in on it's self and bust into flames. And just like that, the rain, the screams, and the wind stopped. John bounced her against as he ran. She closed her eyes and shook her head, unable to believe what had just happen around them.

John crossed the brick line but didn't stop. He sprinted off the porch steps and threw open his back door. He ran inside and still didn't stop. He ran through the kitchen, through the living room, and up the stairs, even though Avery was telling him they were safe, that they were fine. John was panting as he ran down the hall and into his room. It was only when he reached the bed that John slowed down. His left hand went flat on her back as he leaned down. Carefully he set her on the bed.

" It's okay!" Avery was saying. John grabbed his shirt and all but ripped it off. " John! Relax, it's over!" He grabbed her shirt and yanked it off, ignoring her words. He reached behind her, undid her bra in lighting speed and threw it across the room.

" Get your clothes off!" He ordered as his hands went to his belt buckle.

" No, calm down, please! We don't been to get undress." She said quickly.

" Yes we do!" John said, kicking his shoes off.

" Look, I'm bleeding. We need to stop that before we do anything." Avery said softly. John looked up at her face as he panted.

" I don't want you in the clothes they touched." He breathed out. " I want to burn these." Her breath left her loudly. He was pulling at her clothes not for sex. He wasn't possessed or over run with anything. He just wanted to be free of anything that had been touched by Jude and Miranda and she could understand that.

" Okay, " She said calmly. " we need to stop my hand and leg from bleeding. Afterwards we can change and burn everything." Reason slipped across his face as the fear leaked away.

" You're bleeding." He said softly.

" Yes." She said as she started to tremble from cold.

" Stay here." John said before he left the room.

Avery looked down at her left hand, feeling the pain from the slice for the first time. With her right hand shaking, she took a hold of her wrist, trying to apply pressure to slow the bleeding. John walked back into the room with stacks of towels in his arms. He hurried to the side of the bed and set them down beside her. She looked at him but he was watching his work with his hair flat against his head and dripping with water.

John took one of the bigger towels and opened it up. He wrapped it around her shoulders and pulled around her chest. With another towel in his hand, he took her injured hand and wrapped it around the wound. She held it in place as he moved to her left leg. He grabbed the sides of her jeans that had ripped when she hit the wall. With a deep frown, he yanked on the fabric. The ripping sound filled the room. John sighed as he looked at her wound.

" Must was hit a nail on the barn wall." He muttered while he grabbed the other towel.

" Good thing my tetanus is update." She said quietly. He nodded, gently lifting her leg while he wrapped the towel around her. John didn't speak. He couldn't. He didn't know what to say. Avery sighed and leaned forward. " Look at me, John." He shook his head, staring at her leg with his lips tight and thin. " John."

" You're hurt." He finally said softly.

" I'm fine. You're fine. They are gone now. We beat them." He closed his eyes, swallowed hard then nodded. His hands were tight on her leg. With her right hand holding the towel against her left one, she reached out and let her hands rest against his shoulder.

" Are you?" He asked without opening his eyes.

" Am I what?" She asked as she stared at him. John opened his eyes and looked at her.

" Are you okay? You can't be, you know that, right? You were possessed, throw against a wall, your leg is cut and you cut your hand. How can you be okay?" He asked.

" Because I'm alive, you're alive and the scare crow is gone." She said. They stared at each other for a few minutes before his shoulders dropped.

" We need to stop the bleeding, warm you up, then burn these clothes." John said. Avery nodded slowly.

" Okay." If burning the clothes would make him feel better, it was the least she could do for him.


	18. Chapter 18

_* Please Review!*_

With her hair pulled up into a wet, sloppy bun, and her hand and leg bandaged up, Avery made her way through the house towards the back. She could see John outside in the back yard. He was standing at the edge of the brick line with his hands in his pockets and his legs spread. Their clothes were sitting on the other side of the brick line, almost completely burned up. Sitting on the ground, at his left, was a pack of matches and lighter fluid.

John didn't have to turn around to know Avery was making her way towards him. He heard the back screen door open then shut. He sighed and stared harder at the small burning pile. A few seconds later, Avery reached his right side. She didn't speak, as was her nature when dealing with him. She let him have his silence. He couldn't be more grateful for her.

With another sigh, John pulled his right hand out of his pocket and put his arm around her slender shoulders. He pulled her into him and turned his head. As her arms went around his waist, he pressed his lips to her forehead. He closed his eyes, holding her even closer to him. Gently he kissed her skin over and over again. She melted into him.

" You think it's really over?" He whispered. His lips brushed against hers as he spoke.

" Yes." Avery answered without thinking.

" How can you be so sure?" John asked. Avery pulled away and tilted her head so they could look at each other.

" Can't you feel it in the air? It's easier to breath out here then it was. Ever since we got here, the air always felt heavy but that's gone. Plus the book said the way to beat him was through pure blood. I know Miranda and John said I was pure. I heard her say it over and over again when she was in me." John nodded and looked out towards his smoldering barn. A few patches of smoke were still rising up from the charred remains.

" I can feel it but I don't want to believe it. I don't know if I can." He said.

" Well, there is something we can do to try and test it." Avery said as she pulled away from him.

" What are you doing?" John asked.

" Proving to you that it's over." She said, stepping over the brick line.

" Avery, don't!" He said as he reached out for her. But Avery smiled and moved just out of his reach.

" See?" She said. " No rushing wind. No tugging, no screaming. Nothing."

" Okay, point made. Will you come back over here now?" John asked, placing his hands on his hips.

" I don't think the point is made. Come over me with me." She said.

" Doc, come on, please just step over the line." He said. She smiled at how soft his voice got at the nick name Doc. It was his way of calling her Baby or Babe, she could tell. Every time he said it, his voice and his expression changed. It warmed her to see.

" Come and make me." She said, making him smile.

" I got it, okay? Please, Doc, come back." He said. Avery laughed but stepped in closer to him. John reached out and took a hold of her arms. He pulled her into him again, making her slip her arms around his waist. His went around her neck. They stood, just inside the brick line, hugging and enjoying being close to each other. " Let's not do that again, at least not tonight." He whispered as he closed his eyes. She squeezed him, nodding with her head on his chest.

Later that night, Avery slept at his left side while he laid on his back with his hands under his head. He stared at his ceiling with a million thoughts flowing over him. After their clothes were completely burned, the two had skipped dinner, choosing to go right to bed instead. She had changed into a pair of shorts, little socks and a tank top. John was on in pajama pants and no shirt. Why he wanted her like crazy, he hadn't moved towards her when they slipped into his bed. He hadn't reached for her and she hadn't reached for him. He just wasn't sure what she wanted. He wasn't sure if they could, or should, have something together.

John pulled himself up and out of bed when he decided he wasn't going to fall asleep. He made sure she was covered up and warm then walked out of his room, wanting to get some water. John moved down the hallway with a heavy heart. What would happen between them? What could happen between them? Would she want to be with him after all this? He wanted to be with her, that was for sure, but he just wasn't sure what she wanted.

Without turning on any lights, John walked through the ground level of his house. He walked into the kitchen and over to a cabinet right away. He took out a glass, turned the facet on and filled the glass quickly. With his left hand resting on the counter, he brought the glass to his lip and drank down the cold liquid. He closed his eyes and groaned.

" _John."_ His wife's voice came from behind him.

John opened his eyes and pulled the cup from his mouth slowly. He set it on the counter then turned around. Mary was standing on the other side of the table, smiling lovingly at him. She was wearing a white dress that cling to her body. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and the strands looked like they were blowing softly in the wind.

" Mary?" He asked. She nodded.

_" It's over. You freed us."_ Why he could hear her voice, her lips weren't moving.

" Are you?" He asked.

_" Yes. So are you. You don't have to scared or worry anymore. The curse is gone. It's lifted. You can live your life again."_

" I don't know what to do." He admitted. " I feel like I'm betraying you by wanting Avery. It almost feels like I'm cheating on you by wanting to be with her. " With Mary's smile still in place as she shook her head.

_" You're not. I want you to live. I want you happy, you deserve it. You deserve her."_

" Yeah? But does she want me still? Can we be together? Should we?" He asked.

_" I seem to remember that no one can stop you when you want something." _Mary's voice moved through him, making him smile at her words.

" Yeah, that's true." He said. They smiled at each other for a few minutes before he sighed and his smile faded. " I did love you. I know I treated you like shit for a while and I'm sorry."

_" I loved you too. Don't worry about the past anymore. Focus on your future. She will be so good for you. She knows you so well, better than even I did. She knows when you need peace and quiet and that was something I never learned. She knows how to talk you down from the ledge and refocus your attention. I put you on the ledge."_

" No, you didn't. I put myself there. I never felt like I deserved you. I don't feel like I deserve her either. I didn't give you the life you could have had and I don't want to do that to her." John admitted_._

_" You did deserve me and you did give me a good life. You deserve her too. Just don't hold back from her. Be open to it and her."_

" Isn't it kind of weird that you are talking me into dating again?" John asked, making Mary smile even more.

_" Not any more weird than you talking to your dead wife's spirit in the kitchen."_ John laughed and nodded.

" Yeah, I guess you're right about that." He said. They were quiet for a few seconds, both just smiling at each other until Mary spoke again.

_" You will be fine now. Go back to bed, back to her. Start your life over again. She was the key to destroying the scare crow and she's key to your future." _

" I love you, Mary." He said again.

_" I love you, John._"

" Are you really okay? Are the kids okay?" John asked. Mary nodded and smiled.

" _Yes. Now go. Go to back to bed."_ Without another word, Mary faded away until there was nothing. John closed his eyes and swallowed as he took a few deep breaths. _" She will love you and you will love her."_ Mary whispered through the kitchen. John opened his eyes, looked to the ceiling and nodded.

Then he started out of the kitchen. Quietly John made his way through the house and to the stairs. With his heart feeling lighter then it had in a long time, he walked towards his room, towards the woman who was his future according to his dead wife. A smile played across his lips. He was going to believe what Mary said. He was going make things with Avery work. He didn't know how, but he would.

With his heart in his throat, John slipped under the covers and moved across the bed. He laid down and put his arm around Avery's waist. He snuggled into her, rubbing his face into her hair. She sighed in her sleep and moved into his chest. His right leg moved in between hers and he closed his eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

_* Please Review! Sorry this took so long! I dried out here but I'm back!*_

In the morning, when Avery woke, she opened her eyes to find John laying beside her, smiling softly. His eyes and face were still laced with sleep. His right hand was running slowing through her hair. She smiled with both her hands under the pillow and closed her eyes again. She started to roll over, letting out a little moan of contentment. She settled into her left side as he came into her back. His left arm slipped under her neck with his right one went across her chest. He squeezed her at the same time she felt him rubbing his face against her upper back.

" Did you sleep good?" He asked. His voice was rough but she didn't care. She loved it.

" Yeah. Did you?" She whispered with her eyes shut.

" Unbelievably good." John said.

" So what's the plan for today?" She asked.

" Well, I thought we'd lay in bed for a few minutes and get good and woke up. Then jump in the shower, together." She smiled at how husky his voice got with that word alone. " Have breakfast, head out to town and get you a new phone, then just enjoy the day."

" You think the car will work?" Avery asked.

" Yeah." He said as he started to circle her with both his arms.

" It stopped working because of the scarecrow, didn't it?" She asked.

" Yeah." John said before he kissed her skin. Avery sighed and gently pressed her hips back against him. He pushed back, groaned softly and making her smile again.

" So, how did you want to get good and woke up?" She didn't really need to ask. She could feel the way he wanted to wake up pressed into her ass.

" Um..." he muttered. " I'm thinking we could spend some time just like this. Then maybe rub up against each other." At his words, his hips began a slow thrust against hers. " Maybe we could touch each other for a bit."

" How long is a bit?" Avery asked with her voice growing breathless.

" How about until we can't take it anymore? Then we move it to the shower." John said.

" I need to pee first." She said, pushing the blankets off her.

" Yeah, actually I do too." He said.

They took their turns, using the bathroom and brushing their teeth. When they returned to his room, she was already flushed with want and excitement and he was grinning. They slipped under the covers together but when she moved towards him, John gently guided her to turn so she could give him her back. They settled into the bed with him nestling into her neck. He pushed her hair over her shoulder then started sucking in her skin slowly. Avery's eyes went shut as she pressed her hips back and into him.

John's left arm went around her shoulders to hold her close to him while his right hand danced up her thigh. Her breath caught and held when she felt his fingertips reach the edge of her shorts. Instead of pulling them down though, he let his hand moved into them. He found her through the fabric right away. He made a fist and started to stroke her through her panties. Her dampness greeted him almost right away.

" John..." She whispered.

" Shh, just let me touch you." He whispered in return.

Together they moved with a slow thrusting of their hips while he played with her body. He kissed against her neck, sucking on her skin. His left arm was locked down around her chest. He stroked, he circled his knuckles around the top of her. She grabbed at his arm, digging her nails into him. She moaned as her legs stretched out.

" If you keep going..." Her sentience ended in a loud moan.

" What?" John whispered. Gently he pushed the fabric to the side and inserted first one, then two fingers into her. She arched and cried out. She threw one leg over him to open herself up to him more.

" I'm not..." She swallowed loudly. " I'm not going to make it to the shower."

" No, you're not." John whispered. He ran the tip of his tongue up the side of her neck and that was all she needed. She crashed over the edge, trembling and moaning. And it didn't take long for John to get her ready again, after she came down from her first orgasm. When she was panting and needy, he led her to the shower.

NRNRNR

" Here goes nothing." John said as he inserted the key into the ignition. Avery smiled while they looked at each other. He turned the key and the car roared to life, making her shake her head.

" You have to be kidding me." She muttered.

" He was pretty powerful." John commented, pulling away from the house.

As he drove towards the town, she leaned her head back in the seat. She sighed and watched the world go by them. John looked over at her then reached out. He took her hand and squeezed it. Avery felt herself smile. She squeezed him back then turned her head so she could look at him. John brought their hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

" I meant what I said." He said.

" About what?" Avery asked.

" I want to take you out on a date." Avery sighed, finding herself smiling.

" My answer is the same, I'd like that." She said. John smiled.

" Good. Now how are we going to handle things with the hospital?" He asked.

" Well, I'm going to call Walter. I'm going to have him draw up the papers to release you from my care and the hospital. I'm going to make the ruling that you are free and clear. We will need to head back so you can clean out your room." She said.

" And what about the house and the farm?" Avery shifted and cleared her throat. She dropped her eyes to her lap.

" Well, the board of directors will ask you if you want it transferred back to your name. If you say yes, then it's yours." She said.

" And where does that leave us?" John asked.

" I don't know." She said in a deep sigh. She looked at him again. John glanced at her then back at the road. " I can't leave the hospital. I won't. I love my job." He nodded.

" I know you do." John said. " And that's my house and all I have."

" I know." Avery said.

NRNRNR

" I'm sorry I had to call collect." Avery said into the pay phone.

" It's okay." Walter said.

" I can't believe I broke my phone." Walter laughed softly, making her smile. She turned and looked across the diner. John's elbows were resting on the table he was sitting at. His hands were clasped together and his forehead was resting against them.

" It happens. How is the therapy going?" Walter said.

" Good. It has actually worked. He knows the scarecrow didn't kill his family. He has accepted that they were murdered by humans and not a supernatural force." She hated lying to Walter but what choice did she have?

" That's great. I know this was the right therapy for him. Shall I arrange for plane tickets?" Walter asked.

" Yes. The sooner the better. I'm ready to be home." Avery said.

And ready to restart her life. When she was in John's bed, wrapped up his arms, she had felt so sure that they could have something together but now, she wasn't so confident. She should have known he'd want to stay at the hospital and she couldn't move here with him. She couldn't give up her job and her patients. And a long distance relationship would never work between them.

" Give me second..." She heard Walter clicking away on his computer. " Almost done...done. I booked you two tickets for tomorrow. You pick them up at the airport."

" Thank you." She said.

That night, John and Avery took their time in his bed. They rolled with him on top, then her on top. He kissed her deeply and slowly . She told him they would leave the next day and they actually hadn't talked much the rest of the day. Both knew their private time was coming to an end and she couldn't help by think his deep, slow thrusts were his way of saying goodbye. Afterwards, they held each other close and made out until they couldn't keep their eyes open.

In the morning, John took her again the shower then they packed their clothes and headed out. Walter would pick them up and have Avery's paperwork for John's discharge ready. They held hands the entire plan ride but neither one spoke. Avery kept her eyes close while John looked out the window. He rubbed his warm fingers against hers.


	20. Chapter 20

_* Please Review! I hope you guys liked this story! __**Twin:**__ You're up. Lol*_

" Did you hear the news?" Walter asked as he walked into Avery's office.

" What news?" Avery asked, looking up from her charts.

" Mr. Rollins took his house back." Walter said.

A stab went through her heart suddenly. Of course he did. Why wouldn't he? Had she really thought there was a chance he would pick her or his life? Had she thought they could have something? She was smart. She knew they had connected over a supernatural event and great sex. Amazing sex, more like it. But a relationship can not be built on supernatural events and hot, hot sex alone. Avery smiled, forced the smile more like it, and nodded.

" Good. It's time he reclaim his life." She said.

" Yes. You have done right by him." Walter said. A knock at the door, pulled both their attentions to it.

" Ah, hey, Doc." John said. Seeing him standing in the doorway, Avery had to hold her breath. He was so amazing to look like. " Can we talk for a minute?" Avery nodded and stood up.

" Of course, Mr. Rollins. Come in." She said. Walter looked back at Avery and smiled.

" We will talk later." He said before he turned back around and strolled out. Quietly, he closed the door to give some peace.

" So are we back to Mr. Rollins now?" John asked, walking towards her desk. Avery couldn't help but smile while she sat back down.

" Are you excited to be free?" She asked. John smiled and sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk.

" I am excited. I have some big plans for things and I have you to thank for them." He said.

" You don't have to thank me." Avery said.

" Yes, I do. You have done so much for me, let me see so much and I can't be more grateful." He said.

" I heard you took back your house." She said.

" I did." He said while he nodded.

" Well I hope everything goes well for you." Avery said. There was a disconnected between them and she hated it but she didn't know how to fix it. It was clear to her that he was keeping the distance, that he wanted it. And she was going to respect that.

" I better go. The hospital is flying me out in a few hours." He said. Her chest tighten and she wanted to cry.

" Alright." She said, knowing her face was blank.

NRNRNR

Avery strolled through the hallway of the hospital, charting while she walked. Two months ago, John had walked out of the hospital a free man and Avery had thrown herself into her work even more. She didn't want to admit it but she was heartbroken. Completely heartbroken. She had felt connected to John, thought he felt the same, but he had left and she hadn't heard anything from him since. She opened the door to her office and walked. She pushed the door shut with her hip and sighed loudly.

" That's a big sigh, Doc." Avery whipped around, sending her charts to the floor as she jumped. John stood against one a wall of her office with his hands in his pockets and his legs across at his ankles. And he was smiling.

" What are you doing here?" She asked. John's hands came out of his pockets as he pushed himself up. He started over to her.

" I came to see you." He said.

" To see me?" She echoed. John nodded while he bent down and started to gather her charts.

" Yep." He said.

" Why?" Avery asked. He smiled, piled the charts on top of each other then stood up.

" Because." He said, handing them over.

" Because why?" Avery asked. She couldn't stop staring at him. He had changed. He had grown out his goatee, letting the sides of his face get scruffy and his hair was longer but his eyes still sparkled and his smile still made her heart race.

" Let's have a seat, okay?" He asked. Blindly Avery followed him towards her desk. She walked around it and sank like a rock in her chair. John was still smiling as he took his seat, across from her, and set her charts on her desk. " I sold my house, the farm, and everything in it."

" You did?" She asked.

" I did. I got enough to buy a truck and get another place." He said as he stared into her eyes.

" Another place? Where?" She asked.

" Here." John said. He was trying to gauge her reaction from his words and was happy to see that she was shocked. He brought his left hand to his lips and started to rub his bottom one. He didn't want to grin like an idiot but it was already starting.

" Here?" Why was she only able to ask questions? " Why are you moving here?" She asked.

" Well, I thought we could talk about that later." He said, dropping his hand to the chair arm.

" You want to talk later?" Avery closed her eyes and mentally yelled at herself. John chuckled, making her look up at him.

" Yeah well, I said I wanted to take you out on a date, a real date, and now I can." Avery sighed but didn't say anything. John's smile faded. Did he make a mistake? Had he waited to long? " Look, I shouldn't have disappeared these past two months but I had to do things. I had to get things in order and set before I could come for you. Part of that was selling off my things. I didn't want to bring anything from my old life here, to my new life."

" You want to start a new life here then?" Man did she sound stupid and she knew it.

" Yeah, I do. I want to date you, get to know you better. I want to see where you live. I want to see you in your environment. I want you to see me as a man, your man maybe. I got my own apartment, job interviews set up, I have a life now. The scarecrow is gone and behind us. I want to move forward and I want that with you. I hope to have that with you, if you want to give it a shot." Avery started to smile and nod slowing.

" I do. I want too." She said. John grinned and stood up.

" Good. Then we start with a date." He reached forward and grabbed a notepad and pen off her desk. He brought it up to his chest and scribbled down something quickly. He ripped the page out then handed it out to her. " Call me when you done working." Avery took it without speaking, making John laugh softly. " You look like you're in shock."

" I am." Avery set the number down and stood up. " I'm not even sure what to say. I thought you were gone for good." She said as she walked around the desk.

" No. I just wanted to get myself straight. Do you want to be with me?" John simply asked. Avery sighed but nodded. John reached out and they took hands. He pulled her towards him, wrapping her tight in his arms as soon as she reached him.

" I do." She admitted. She closed her eyes and brought her hands to his back.

" Good because I want to be with you." They were quiet for a few minutes, both just enjoying each other's touch. Finally, John sighed and smiled to himself. " Something tells me you and I are going to be really great together."

_The End! _


End file.
